Division of Student Affairs and the Dean of Students

Numerous student-centered offices and services are available through Northwestern's Division of Student Affairs to enhance your student's extra- and co-curricular experiences.

The Dean of Students Office provides support, services, and programs to students and their parents. Overseeing Orientation and Parent Programs, Undergraduate Residential Life, Fraternity and Sorority Life, Off-Campus Living, Judicial Affairs, Services for Students with Disabilities, and SafeRide , the dean of students is a primary point of contact for students and parents who have any questions, suggestions, and/or concerns. In addition, the dean of students oversees sexual harassment complaints between students.

Campus Activities

The University offers a broad range of extracurricular activities that encompass the diverse interests of the student body. The Center for Student Involvement at the Norris University Center develops and implements social, cultural, and educational programs for the student community. Cocurricular or extracurricular activities take place throughout the University, ranging from club sports offered through Athletics and Recreation to the programs of the various groups based in Multicultural Student Affairs. The Associated Student Government also recognizes over one hundred Student Groups which undergraduates have created.

Counseling and Psychological Services

At some time during the college years, students may experience difficulty in their emotional adjustment to academic and competitive pressures, relationship and social problems, overall developmental transitions, or family issues. Students away from their traditional support network of family and friends may benefit from professional counseling as a safe, supportive, and objective way to sort out problems.

The professional staff of Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), which includes psychologists, psychiatrists, and psychotherapists, is dedicated to helping students make the most of their total learning experience at Northwestern. Please visit the CAPS website for additional information.

Diversity on Campus

Northwestern's institutional values include creating an environment that welcomes all students, faculty, and staff of all races, ethnicities, nationalities, and religions. The following centers and services are instrumental to the University's fulfillment of this key responsibility:

Fraternity and Sorority Life

Approximately 35 percent of Northwestern undergraduates students choose to "go greek" through Fraternity and Sorority Life. Sororities and fraternities usually conduct their new members' recruitment process (rush) during the first two to three weeks of winter quarter. Some fraternities and a few sororities also have recruitment during spring quarter.

Health Service

The University maintains the Health Service at Searle Hall. The Health Service staff is composed of physicians, consulting specialists, nurse practitioners, nurses, and medical support personnel. The clinic provides diagnostic and clinical services, including X-ray and laboratory facilities. A pharmacy is available at reasonable cost to students.

Visit the Health Service website for details regarding the Admission Health Record forms and satutory insurance requirements as well as additional information on available services and student health.

Judicial Affairs

Judicial Affairs provides support and education to students involved in campus disciplinary matters and plays a key role in educating and training students, faculty and staff about community expectations, values and standards. In addition, the office is responsible for coordinating the Division of Student Affairs' student disciplinary systems and administering the formal student judicial processes: the University Hearing and Appeals System (UHAS) and the Sexual Assault Hearing and Appeals System (SAHAS).

Norris University Center (Northwestern's Student Union)

Norris University Center offers a range of programs, facilities, and services providing educational and entertainment opportunities for the Northwestern community. In addition to many operational areas, the center has a full-time professional staff available to assist students. It is home to the Center for Student Involvement and Events Planning, each of which work with student groups to plan and implement social, educational, and recreational programs.

Norris also offers convenient access to limited self-service US postal facilities, an ATM/banking center, an array of dining options, meeting space, and much more.

Services for Students with Disabilities

Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) provides services and support to facilitate reasonable academic and environmental accommodations for students with disabilities. SSD organizes disability services in a manner that promotes self-determination for people with disabilities and also engages the entire campus community in issues of access. Northwestern respects the independence, rights, and dignity of people with disabilities and does not require anyone to request an accommodation or identify himself or herself as having a disability.

University Career Services

University Career Services (UCS) provides comprehensive career and employment services for matriculated students:

• Career counseling aids students in their efforts to make career decisions through choice of major, graduate and professional school, and job opportunities.
• Educational programming helps students acquire knowledge and skills through workshops and special presentations on such topics as career exploration, graduate and professional schools and job internship preparation. At UCS's annual Career Conversations event, for example, freshmen and sophomores can learn more about specific career paths through an evening of conversations with professionals from various fields. Other events sponsored by UCS include the Class Conference, Career Week, Campus Recruiting Expo, and New York City Recruiting Day.
• Experiential education allows students to gain first hand experience through internships. In addition, informational interviews and mentoring programs give students other ways to explore career interests. UCS also hosts various employers who recruit on campus to fill their internship positions each year.
• Employment services connect students with businesses and organizations that seek part-time, summer, and full-time employees. UCS helps graduates find full-time professional employment and maintains listings of employment opportunities in exclusive online databases, coordinates resume referrals to employers, and hosts campus interviews with many of the country's top employers.
  

Religious and Spiritual Life

The Alice Millar Chapel and Religious Center is a focal point of religious expression at the University. University chapel services are held at 11am each Sunday during the regular academic year. The chapel is ecumenical in its approach to worship and in its programs. While generally within the Protestant Christian tradition, services are open to members of all faiths, and guest preachers are frequently invited to the pulpit. The religious center hosts a variety of special services and events – Muslim Juma's prayers, Buddhist meditation, and Israeli folk dancing, to name just a few - as well as discussion groups, lectures, organ recitals, concerts, and dramatic performances. The chaplains welcome personal conferences with students, either on a drop-in basis or by appointment.

Other campus ministry centers that plan services and student activities include:

In addition, there are a multitude of religious fellowship groups that meet throughout the campus community for worship and programs. Some examples are the Baha'i Club, a Buddhist study group, Campus Crusade for Christ, Christian Science Organization, the Muslim-cultural Students Association, and many others.

University Housing and Dining Service

Students who have been accepted for admission are invited to apply for housing once their tuition and room reservation deposits have been paid. Undergraduate Housing provides full descriptions of the types of University housing available as well as a web-based housing application. Please note that application information, housing brochures, and application forms are no longer routinely sent out by mail.

Undergraduate Housing is responsible for on-campus housing and roommate assignments. The office makes every effort to accommodate your son's or daughter's preferences, but due to space limitations not every students can be assigned to his or her first choice of residence and/or roommate(s).

In early August information regarding room assignments, the names of any roommates, and the on-line housing contract are sent by email to incoming freshman via their Northwestern email accounts. The contract must be signed electronically within two weeks of receipt to confirm your student's housing reservation.

Room and board bills for fall quarter are mailed in mid-August. Returning students who wish to apply for a room for the following academic year do so during the preceding spring quarter. Complete details about procedures and priorities for assignment are published at the beginning of the spring quarter. University procedure establishes which students will receive an initial housing assignment and which will be placed on a waiting list for assignment during the summer as cancellations are received from students previously assigned. All students on the waiting list are normally offered housing in University facilities by the start of the academic year in the fall.

Dining facilities are located in five of the larger residence halls (Allison, Elder, Foster-Walker, Complex, Sargent, and 1835 Hinman Avenue) and in the largest residential college (Willard). A variety of meal plans are offered but all students who live in University residence halls are initially assigned to the WildCat 13 Meal-Per-Week Plan, as per the board contract. Students may change their existing plan to any of the offered meal plans, according to the University Housing and Food Services Guidelines. A student's WildCARD grants them access to the University Dining services.

University Residential Life

Approximately 4,250 undergraduate students live in University housing, 900 live in fraternity or sorority houses, and the remaining 2,600 commute from home or live off campus. Most university residence rooms are doubles, but residences also contain single, triple, or quadruple rooms and suites. One or more of the community assistants (CAs) are assigned to each living unit. These upperclass or graduate students, selected for their maturity and sensitivity, act as advisers in the residence. The residence staff is supervised by University Residential Life. In addition, each large residence hall and group of smaller houses has a residence hall coordinator or full-time area coordinator responsible for overall administration. The staff provides support and programming to promote a sense of community and to encourage each student's growth and development.

Academic Life

Student Life and Services

Policies, Procedures, and Safety

Staying Involved With Your Student

Advice for Parents

Resources for Parents

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