Category: Campus Resources

After undergoing some changes over the last few years and transitioning from being the University Career Center to now being Career Discovery & Success, some people may be wondering exactly what we do. We primarily assist exploratory freshmen students and other students who want to change their majors, but there is so much more that we offer to students!

Campus Career Closet

The Campus Career Closet is still going strong on the third floor of Mary Martin Hall. As always, students are welcome to take advantage of the Campus Career Closet to get four items of professional clothing free of charge each academic year. In addition to the clothing being free, students are welcome to keep the clothing. Should you want to take advantage of the Campus Career Closet, go to Handshake and make an appointment, as access to this resource is by appointment only.

Career Strategists

Students in the Colleges of Forestry, Agriculture, Education, and Human Sciences have Career Strategists to assist them as they search for jobs. Carlos Acosta (Forestry & Agriculture) and Jelisa Bass (Education & Human Sciences) serve students by assisting them with job searches, résumé and cover letter reviews, mock interviews, and more. Carlos and Jelisa can be found on Handshake for appointments and also spend time out in their respective colleges giving presentations and meeting with students.

Career Connections

Our Career Connections Team works to host career fairs and bring employers to campus to interact with our students. The Stay Local career fair and Disney Day on the Plains are examples of the work being done by the Career Connections Team. Events and all of the specifics can be found on Handshake.

Exploratory Advising

Our Exploratory Advising Center is where we work with students who are unsure about their majors and want to spend time exploring all the options available to them. Exploratory Advising is divided into four areas: Exploratory classes (EXPL1010 and EXPL1020), academic advising, career counseling, and students changing their major.

EXPL1010 & EXPL1020

Students who are undecided when it comes to their major can enroll in our exploratory major classes. We teach EXPL1010 in the fall and EXPL1020 in the spring. Students can select a major and move from the exploratory major at the end of fall or spring semester. Some students figure out their major quickly, while other students need more time. The great thing about this program is that all of our instructors (career counselors and academic advisors) want to help these students and don’t judge them if they need more time to figure out their major and / or career. To help students figure out their majors and career paths, we take them on a journey that teaches them about themselves, various majors, and career possibilities. We use the tools and resources on the Career Discovery & Success website to aid our students in their exploration. The number of students taking advantage of this program has been increasing each year.

Academic Advising

The academic advisors in Exploratory advising work to provide students with the best advice possible as our students explore different majors. The goal is to keep our students on track to graduate in four years. So many exploratory students feel like they are behind their peers because they haven’t declared a major, so the Academic Advising Team works to help these students to understand that they are making real progress toward their futures.

Career Counseling

While the Academic Advising Team works mainly on the academic side to assist students, the Career Counseling Team works with students to help them learn about different careers in which they might be interested. Assessments are sometimes used to assist students in narrowing down their options. In all cases, the career counselors discuss what the student is thinking to assess where the student is and where they might be wanting to go. Theoretically, academic advising and career counseling are two different things. In reality, some of the work each team does overlaps with the other. As a result, we sometimes have to work together to assist our students.

Major Changers

We also assist students who want to or need to change their majors. When we have a student come to our office for this reason, they may start with academic advising or with career counseling, depending on the student’s needs. With major changing students, we go through the same process of advising them as we do with our exploratory major students. This assistance is given in a less formal setting than a classroom and is usually done through assessments and / or discussion in a one-on-one setting. Even though these students are not exploratory majors, we still want to make sure that they make a solid decision when changing their major so they don’t have to repeat the process anytime soon.

            We are located on the first floor of Mary Martin Hall and would love for anyone who is interested in what we do to drop by and see us!

Auburn University’s military community is a valued and important part of the AU tradition.  To aid and assist this community, the Veteran’s Resource Center carries a service-driven mission to help veterans, active duty, reservists, dependents, and spouses use their federal VA benefits at the university and advocate for the community through outreach and programming.  

Programs and Resources

Though the bulk of the VRC’s work revolves around the process of certifying students, the department hosts a variety of programming, events, and resources to aid the military-affiliated community.

Math Bootcamp:

Dr. Schenck, a veteran and Professor of Mathematics and Statistics, leads a weekly math tutoring session for veterans in the VRC.

Textbook Library:

The Mike Patterson Library is a collection of donated textbooks and manuals for Auburn Student Veteran Association members to utilize and borrow on a semesterly basis.

Rucksacks to Backpacks:

Rucksacks to Backpacks is an initiative created to assist veterans with technology needs. Students, with financial need, apply for electronic devices necessary for their academic success. In the past, the VRC provided laptops and other devices, such as headphones that helped an Aerospace student combat their tinnitus.

Green Zone Training:

The goal of Green Zone Training is to provide departments on campus with opportunities to learn about veterans and the challenges and successes they face as they return to education.

Professional Clothing Locker:

The Professional Clothing Locker provides interview attire to military-affiliated students in need. Veterans can also come by the VRC to receive “Veteran” labels to indicate their military affiliation as they approach career fairs and other opportunities.

Auburn Student Veteran’s Association

The ASVA is a 501(c)(3) organization that provides student veterans and military-affiliated students with resources to support the body, mind, and spirit through higher education into employment. Creating a safe space for veterans and like-minded individuals to recreate the bonds of camaraderie that most miss when leaving the military, the organization accepts all students no matter their military background.

Upcoming Events

7^TH Annual Veteran’s Gala:

Hosted by the ASVA, the annual Gala provides an opportunity for members of the community to come together to help raise monies for Veteran scholarships. Join us on October 11th at the Auburn Marriott Opelika Resort & Spa for an inspiring evening dedicated to celebrating our student veterans. For more details, please visit: https://asvastore.com/gala/        

Operation Iron Ruck:

During the week of Thanksgiving, the Auburn Student Veterans Association (ASVA) partners with the Campus Veterans Association (CVA) at the University of Alabama to complete a 151-mile ruck mark from Jordan-Hare Stadium to Bryant-Denny Stadium. Participants will carry a 22-pound rucksack in honor of the 22 veterans a day who lose their lives to suicide. For more information and to support, please visit: https://operationironruck.com/

Veteran’s Golf Classic:

In Spring, the VRC holds a Golf Classic with the Auburn University Club that allows student veterans to join a team of community and business members so that they can create relationships and hold fellowship with members of the area.

Contact Us!

Do not hesitate to email the office at veterans.auburn.edu. Whether regarding benefits or programs and events, the VRC aims to serve the military-affiliated population and help lead them to their next stop.   

Safety is an important factor in the decision to attend Auburn. Auburn has robust infrastructure, programs, and partnerships in place that contribute to a safe environment for learning and living. A key component is engaging the whole community in our safety programs.

The Department of Campus Safety & Security and the University Precinct of the City of Auburn Police Department work hand-in-hand to provide 24/7 services to the campus community out of the state-of-the-art Campus Safety & Security Building. Don’t hesitate to call or stop by to discuss safety questions or concerns, or to report a crime.

Programs and Resources

The Auburn Safety app provides information on a lot of our programs and is a great resource for students and family members. Features include push notifications, emergency guidelines, in-app security shuttle request, personal safety tips, sexual violence and other resources, access to the campus weather station, and more.

Training

Campus Safety offers a variety of training for the campus community, including students and organizations. Watch for announcements or request training for a group by completing an online form. Topics include RAD self-defense for women, emergency preparedness, active shooter response, first aid/CPR, Stop the Bleed, crime prevention, and security awareness.

Communications

An important component of safety is staying informed. Auburn sends a variety of safety messaging to the campus community:

– AU ALERT emergency notifications for emergencies requiring immediate action on campus

–Campus Safety Notices for crimes on or immediately adjacent to campus that may pose a serious or ongoing threat

-Campus Safety Advisories for general safety information

Other public disclosures available on our website include daily crime logs, daily fire logs, and the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, which includes crime and fire statistics as well as important information about security and fire safety policies and programs. We encourage all students and their families to check it out!

Safety is Everyone’s Responsibility

Campus Safety works with departments across campus daily to promote safety, encourage personal responsibility, and empower members of the Auburn family to look out for each other. Here are some tips to help keep our campus safe:

-Download the free Auburn Safety app and be aware of the resources available.

-Review personal safety tips in the Auburn Safety app or at www.auburn.edu/safety.

-Take advantage of training and outreach opportunities.

-Stay engaged with @AuburnSafety on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

-Stay alert to your surroundings, trust your instincts and report concerns immediately.

Campus Safety is always open to questions, concerns, and suggestions. Please stay in touch so we can keep our campus safe together.

Auburn wants to see students succeed, and there are SO many resources available for students on campus to help with this. Many of them are free of charge and easy to access. However, it’s the student’s job to take advantage of the opportunities available to them. Here’s how to make the most of campus resources.

University Career Center

Whether you have no idea what you want to major in or you have a very specific career goal in mind, the career center is for you! They are here to support you from start to finish of your college career. The career center is something that I used throughout my time at Auburn. My first semester freshman year, I was very undecided on what I wanted to major in, so I set up an appointment with a career coach to discuss various majors, what I thought I would enjoy, and different career paths available. I ended up changing my major that semester to the major I graduated with.  A little later in college, I needed a summer internship, so I went back to the career center. They helped me with knowing how to job search, creating a resume and cover letter, and interview preparation. Another incredible resource of the career center is the career closet available to students. The career closet is filled with business professional clothes in a variety of sizes and styles, and students can get up to 4 free items from the career closet per year. This means that students could leave Auburn with 16 free items of business professional clothing by graduation! Finally, when I was graduating from Auburn and interviewing for my current job, I set up a mock interview with the career center. They ask common interview questions and give feedback for each interview question and response. It was super helpful in preparing and feeling more comfortable for my interview. In addition to all of this, the career center hosts internship and job fairs throughout the year. They are a great resource for students to utilize at any stage of their college career.

Academic Resources

Auburn is filled with academic resources to help students succeed. Aside from professors offering individual office hours each week, there are plenty of additional ways to help students stay on track in their classes. One great resource is Supplemental Instruction. Many core classes at Auburn have an SI Leader who is a current student that did well in the course in a previous semester.  The SI Leader will hold study sessions each week to review the material with students in a smaller setting. These are optional, but I attended SI sessions early in college and found them extremely helpful in reinforcing what I had learned in class. Another great resource is Study Partners. Study Partners offers free one-on-one peer tutoring to students in a variety of courses. The Miller Writing Center offers one-on-one feedback from graduate and undergrad students on papers or writing assignments of any type. Finally, Learning Communities are a great resource for helping students adjust to college by giving them an automatic group of peers with similar interests and the same class schedule. You can read more about Learning Communities here.

Recreation and Wellness Center

 The Recreation and Wellness Center on campus is an incredible facility available to students, faculty, and staff. Most of the amenities within the rec are free to use and are something I wish I had taken advantage of more as a student. There’s a 1/3 indoor track with elevation changes, 6 regulation sized basketball courts, a PGA golf simulator, a giant pool and hot tub, a rocking climbing wall, and state of the art equipment. You can read more about the rec center on a previous blog post here.

Health and Wellness

Finally, there are lots of resources on campus for keeping students healthy both mentally and physically. Student Counseling Services provides students with free individual or group counseling sessions. The Medical Clinic on campus is available for students to visit when they need to see a doctor. There are massage and chiropractic services, a women’s health clinic, and a student pharmacy all within the med clinic as well.

The Auburn University Medical Clinic’s mission is “to provide high-quality, efficient and convenient health care with compassion, dedication and professionalism.” The facility began serving Auburn University students, faculty, and staff as well as the greater Auburn community in 2005 with an unwavering commitment to achieving its mission. And I should know!

One of my earliest visits to the Medical Clinic occurred during the spring semester of my sophomore year. It was a beautiful afternoon and I was leaving Goodwin Hall with a heavy backpack on my back and my alto saxophone safely in its case in my left hand. In one moment, I was laughing with my friends walking down a hill close to the amphitheater and falling in slow motion in the next. After hearing an unusual *pop*…

… I had managed to land sitting on my left foot. With the help of my friends, I thought I could literally walk the injury off with a night of elevating my leg and icing my ankle with a bag of frozen green peas – college students are nothing if not resourceful. It was immediately evident the next morning, though, that I needed help from a medical professional and the Medical Clinic was the obvious choice. After an X-ray and a consultation with a doctor, my severely sprained ankle was on the mend.

One of my more recent visits was less embarrassing (thankfully, I’ve been more surefooted ever since) but equally memorable. In July 2018, I visited the Medical Clinic for a much more routine reason. At this time, I was nearly two years into being an admissions advisor and it was just days after learning about my dad’s cancer diagnosis. There were more unknowns and questions than certainty and answers in my life on the day of my visit. It was only after a couple weeks of waiting and worrying later than we learned that his cancer was treatable. Needless to say, my visit to the Medical Clinic that day was surrounded by unique circumstances. As I was waiting in my exam room, I was consumed with worry about my dad. When Dr. Owens walked into the room, I could have never predicted the ways in which she was going to help me. We talked about the reason for my visit and the medicine I need to take, and then the conversation somehow shifted to my dad. She listened intently and asked to pray over me. I left the Medical Clinic that day having received a level of care and concern I didn’t even know I needed.

Months later, I had a follow-up visit and, coincidentally, was treated by Dr. Owens again. She asked about my dad quickly after entering the exam room. I was amazed by her memory – how many patients had she seen since my visit? I was grateful to pass along the good news that he was responding well to treatment and even more grateful for her compassion for me and a loved one of mine that she had never even met.

Dr. Owens is undoubtedly extraordinary… along with every other doctor, PA, nurse, phlebotomist, receptionist, and staff member at the Auburn University Medical Clinic. If you’re anything like me, reader, you probably feel like this level of care and concern is a rarity in today’s world. But it’s the rule – not the exception to it – in the Auburn Family, and there is no better embodiment of the Auburn Family than the Auburn University Medical Clinic.

• The Auburn University Medical Clinic is a fee-for-service facility, meaning that you will only pay for services when you use them.
• They have contracts with most major insurance companies and can work with students who are uninsured or take advantage of Auburn University’s Student Health Insurance.
• Making an appointment over the phone or requesting an appointment through your patient portal is easy and the digital kiosks make the check-in process even more efficient.
• In keeping with the Auburn University Medical Clinic’s mission, there are a variety of services available to help ensure students’ holistic health and wellness. Some of the resources housed within the facility include:
  • Student Counseling Services
  • Student Pharmacy
  • Women’s Health provided by Lee OB/GYN
  • Miller Clinic for chiropractic care
  • Massage Therapy Center
• While the facility has a variety of services, it does not currently have specialists like dentists or optometrists but will gladly refer you to a local option that will best meet your needs.

Overall, I can confidently speak from a variety of personal experiences that the Auburn University Medical Clinic is an invaluable resource to the Auburn community. Whether you are coming from near or far, rest assured that the folks at the Auburn University Medical Clinic will embody the spirit of the Auburn Family to ensure your health and wellness.