Campus Life
Location
Columbia, Mo., the home of Stephens College,
well deserves the designation Collegetown, U.S.A. Twenty-six thousand
students are enrolled in the three higher education institutions
in this small city, which is devoted to meeting the needs of students.
Columbia is only 126 miles west of St. Louis and 125 miles east
of Kansas City on Interstate 70. There is regular bus service from
both metropolitan areas and airline service through Columbia Regional
Airport, with connecting flights available in international airports
located in St. Louis and Kansas City.
Student
Life
Stephens has a long history of commitment
to the total development of the student, and a planned, residential
education is an essential component of that development. By living,
dining and studying together, students discover how to develop cooperative
relationships with peers and build community. With the help of professional
staff and faculty advisers, students learn how to function independently,
to develop their own set of values, to manage emotions and to gain
a sense of identity. Research also shows that students living in
residence halls generally achieve better academically than commuters.
Stephens provides students with many opportunities, in and out of
the classroom, to make responsible choices and to become involved
in policy-making areas which directly affect their lives. In return,
Stephens expects students to take their responsibilities seriously
and to uphold the standards and regulations set forth by the appropriate
governing boards of the College.
Rights
and Responsibilities
In addition to taking full advantage
of the educational opportunities available to her, each student
has the responsibility to conduct herself in a manner that is best
for her own welfare and that of the entire College community. Students
are responsible for the policies stated in the catalog and Within
the Ivy (student handbook). Both may be accessed through the
Stephens College Web site www.stephens.edu.
On-Campus
Living and Food Service Requirements
Students enrolled in the residential
program at Stephens are required to live in on-campus housing throughout
their enrollment and participate in the College's food service plan.
Day students are students who reside with their spouse, parent or
legal guardian, or are Columbia-area residents not legally dependent
on another person, who have lived in the community for one full
year or more. A limited number of seniors apply and are approved
by the dean of students to seek housing off-campus. All students
living off campus are required to pay fees which include the charge
for a specific number of meals on campus per semester in the college
dining service.
Academic
Resource Center
The ARC is an individualized tutoring
center that provides free assistance to all Stephens College students
who want to improve their academic skills. The goal of the center
is to assist those students who desire additional help beyond that
provided by course instructors.
Broadcasting
Activities
Stephens students receive hands-on
experience in the production of programming for KWWC-FM, the 1,250-watt
radio station owned and operated by the College, and in Studio A,
a full-size television studio.
Counseling
Services
Students' academic, career and personal
counseling needs are met by a variety of services and programs at
Stephens College. These programs are designed to assist students
as they move toward self-reliance and self-confidence, and student
life members are available to help identify a student's talents
and potential.
Psychological services provided by Stephens College include conducting
intake interviews and assessments, making referrals to appropriate
psychological resources, providing psychotherapy for students, and
providing consultation with college personnel regarding student
concerns. Additional services may be negotiated for a fee.
Career
Services
Stephens Career Services assists
students with all phases of career planning from choosing majors
and identifying career possibilities to gaining career-related experiences
and securing employment or entrance to graduate school. The Career
Services staff work extensively with students one-on-one to address
individual needs, as well as in groups through special programs
and presentations on such topics as interviewing, résumé
writing and job-search strategies. Career Services also works cooperatively
with academic programs to help students plan and prepare for internship
opportunities.
Career Services maintains an extensive library of resources including
employer directories, company literature, graduate school information,
résumé sample books, a computerized career information
system and much more. The office also maintains a database consisting
of more than 500 alumnae career consultants from whom students may
gain valuable career and employment information.
Employment opportunities can be found in Career Services for permanent,
part-time and summer positions. Career Services also assists students
with on-campus work study positions.
Cultural
Events
The vast array of cultural experience
available to students on campus includes theatre productions, chamber
music concerts, exhibits in the Davis Art Gallery, jazz, ballet,
comedy and musical productions, numerous lectures, discussions and
presentations by on-campus and outside experts.
Disabled
Student Services
Mobility-impaired students may contact
the vice president for student services to receive an accessibility
map of the campus and other information concerning access to campus
buildings and grounds. Individual orientation to the campus is available
through the vice president for student services.
Mobility-impaired students should contact the vice president for
academic affairs concerning accessibility of scheduled classrooms.
Once officially notified, the vice president for academic affairs
will make every effort to schedule classes in locations that accommodate
limited mobility.
Residents who have a physical disability that requires special accommodations
should contact the director of residence life for room assignments
that best meet their needs.
Health
Services
The Stephens Health Services program
is designed to help students gain the knowledge they need to make
responsible decisions about optimal health. The director of health
services, who is also a certified nurse practitioner, coordinates
the delivery of health education and medical services. She sees
students by appointment at the health clinic for lifestyle changes,
illnesses and injuries and may refer students to a consulting physician.
There is an extra fee for using a consulting physician.
For emergency and/or specialized medical care, students are referred
to Columbia physicians or hospitals where all medical and surgical
sub-specialties are available. All costs are the responsibility
of the student and her family. In Missouri, anyone 18 or older may
contract for their own health care. Students should be aware of
medical insurance coverage under their family's policy. Specific
information on student health insurance is available in the Office
of the Vice President for Student Services.
When a student is admitted to Stephens, she receives a health information
form which must be completed and returned to Health Services prior
to her arrival on campus. A student must furnish the report of her
medical history, present health status and evidence of recent immunizations
prior to confirming fall preregistration.
Office
of Student Leadership and Campus Programming
The Campus Programming office promotes
and sponsors student activities and events, and provides advice
and support for student organizations and campus-wide activities.
The director and staff are committed to developing student leadership
and involvement through innovative and developmental programs. The
office encourages service, volunteerism and active participation
throughout the student body.
Residence
Life
The director of residence life and
graduate residents, all of whom are professionals in the student
life area, work closely with student staff members, assist in the
development of hall programs and provide opportunities for individual
and group development that contribute to the quality of life for
students living in the residence halls.
Resident assistants (RAs) and resident directors (RDs) living in
the halls are students who serve as peer support persons, providing
resource information and referrals. They assist students in adjusting
to college life and its demands. RAs and RDs are responsible for
creating and maintaining a sense of community in the residence halls.
Residential hall living complements students' academic endeavors
through the connections they make with their roommate, hallmates
and staff. The staff encourages students to take advantage of the
many opportunities for involvement. These opportunities are designed
to challenge a student as she learns and grows throughout her college
years.
Students invited to be a part of the Honors House Plan, which is a specialized living and learning environment, will be living in a designated area in Pillsbury Hall. Tower Hall is reserved for upper-class students only.
Student
Government Association, Hall Councils
Students' responsibilities in campus
and hall government are twofold: to become involved in policy-making
by making suggestions and problems known to elected representatives;
and to uphold the rules and regulations made by the same representatives.
Every student is automatically a member of the Student Government
Association (SGA). SGA has executive and legislative powers to govern
student activities and to develop and maintain group living standards.
Students who are elected to SGA committees gain experience in planning,
administering and communicating cultural, social and recreational
activities and in dealing with academic, residential and community
problems. Students are also elected to serve as class officers for
each of the four classes. These officers work within the SGA guidelines
as well as serve as leaders for their classmates.
Each residence hall has its own elected council that provides ideas
and support for campus-wide concerns through SGA. Hall councils
also coordinate recreational, social and cultural activities within
the hall.
Student Organizations
Many growth and leadership opportunities
are available to students through the following organizations. Honoraries
include Alpha Lambda Delta, national freshman honorary; Alpha Epsilon
Rho, television, radio; Beta Beta Beta, science; Pi Phi Rho, retailing,
fashion, business; Phi Alpha Delta, pre-law; Sigma Beta Delta, business,
management, administration; Sigma Tau Delta, English; Dimensions
Company, dance; Psi Chi, psychology; and Mortar Board, national
senior honor society. Other organizations include Martin Luther
King Jr. Student Union; Sigma Sigma Sigma and Kappa Delta social
sororities; Panhellenic Council; Prince of Wales Club, equestrian
riding; Catholic Student Association; Stephens Christian Fellowship;
Mikreh "Happening", Model United Nations; Public Relations Student
Society of America; Habitat for Humanity; Psychology Club; Ambassador
Association; Students Looking at Teaching and Education; Stephens
College Republicans; Stephens Feminist Organization; Student Government
Association; Students in Free Enterprise; The French Society; Young
Democrats Club; Warehouse Theatre Company; Mudshark Club; Ten Ideals;
and Human United Educated Sistahs.
Student
Publications
Students may become involved in the
production of the student newspaper, Stephens Life, by enrolling
in a mass communication practicum course for credit. Harbinger,
a magazine of original literary, photographic and graphic works,
is also produced by students.
The
Campus
The buildings on the Stephens campus
bridge the modern and historic eras.
Historic Senior Hall, the
oldest building on campus (1841) and one of the oldest structures
in Columbia, is included in the National Register of Historic Places
and houses the music and dance programs.
The James Madison Wood Institute for the Study of Women's
Education is located on the first floor of Historic Senior
Hall. Seeking to facilitate research that will have a significant
influence on the lives of women through the integration of new scholarship
into the curriculum, the Institute draws upon and continues the
rich heritage of commitment to women's education that has characterized
Stephens since former President Wood began the tradition of building
the Stephens curriculum on "the actual social and economic needs
of woman herself." Students and faculty are encouraged to become
Institute research affiliates.
The James Madison Wood Quadrangle is the Stephens
learning center. Included are the Hugh Stephens Resources Library,
classrooms, multipurpose areas, office-seminar space, a teaching
auditorium, a lecture theater, listening rooms, television and radio
studios, FM broadcast facilities, newsroom, computer labs, laboratories,
galleries, art studios—bringing together traditional learning
aids and modern technology.
The Hugh Stephens Resources Library is the central
building of the Quadrangle. It is an open, informal space housing
a variety of resources and offering students and staff comfortable
study areas and computer access to enhance a pleasant, independent
learning and research experience. The Library also offers other
spaces to facilitate academic and business meetings, such as the
Penthouse and other meeting rooms. The Albert Schweitzer Collection
area is a quiet nook tucked away in a corner of the Library—perfect
as a quiet place for individual study or reflection.
The library
collection includes more than 120,000 volumes with new materials
added at the rate of approximately 1,000 each year. There is also
a very good reference collection with professional staff who work
with students and faculty to provide individual or group instruction
concerning the various library resources as needed. The Library
subscribes to several large databases with access to approximately
10,000 full-text and abstract versions of numerous journals. Other
media include audio and videotapes, DVDs and journals on microform.
The Education/Children's Resource Collection is also housed in the
Library.
The library is home to the College's Student Success Center, two
computer labs (Mac and PC) and a G5 Mac lab for digital film editing
-- all creating a "one-stop shop" meeting tudents' learning,
tutoring and technology needs.
Access
to the Library's collection is through the on-line public catalog,
Arthur. Stephens College is a member of the Arthur cluster of the
MOBIUS consortium and so has access to the collections of the other
58 member academic libraries in Missouri. Students can view the
online catalogs of other member libraries, borrow books directly
online or review their own list of checked out materials and renew
items themselves if so desired. Arthur is available at http://arthur.missouri.edu/
.
Helis Communication Center, KWWC-FM and
the Patricia Barry Television Studio serve as laboratories for students
in television and radio production, broadcast and print journalism,
and public relations courses.
Lewis James and Nellie Stratton Davis Art Gallery
exhibits works of selected artists, with a special emphasis on women
artists. The Catherine Webb Art Studios provide class and studio
space for drawing, painting, computer and digital design, ceramics
and printmaking. These studios also support fashion design classes.
Special facilities of the visual arts area include a large, gas-fired
reduction kiln; two electric kilns; Macintosh computers; printers;
and scanners. Each computer is equipped with CD-ROM drive and a
Zip disk external backup system.
E.S. Pillsbury Science Center houses science and
mathematics faculty offices. Classrooms and laboratories are set
up for individual projects and class experiments.
Ellis Learning, the foreign language lab/student
center, provides audio tape players for drill in foreign languages
and a dubbing service for individual tapes.
Louise Dudley Hall contains classrooms with audiovisual
equipment for courses in English, art history, social studies, business,
psychology, and computer technology. Special facilities in Louise
Dudley Hall include a large art history collection of 35,000 slides,
records, CDs and videos. This specialized library is used as a teaching
aid in art, art history classes.
Windsor Auditorium, a teaching auditorium seating
300, is also used for recitals and guest lectures.
Charters Lecture Theatre, with seating for 128,
is used for lectures and films. The adjacent Arena Classroom is
used for teaching, lecturing, conferences, exhibitions, audiovisual
presentations and special theatre arts productions.
Firestone Baars Chapel, designed by Eero Saarinen,
is acknowledged to be one of the most beautiful buildings of its
kind in the United States. It is used for a variety of worship services
and campus activities as well as for individual worship and meditation.
Stamper Commons features self-service dining facilities
for all students, faculty and staff and separate lounge areas on
four levels. There is also the College post office, the bookstore
(known as the Bookshelf), the Office of Student Leadership and Campus
Programming, Health Services, Office of Vice President of Student
Services, Office of Residence Life and the spacious Windsor Lounge.
The John and Mary Silverthorne Arena is equipped
for NAIA basketball and volleyball.
Other recreational facilities include tennis courts, an indoor pool
and billiard tables located at several locations across campus.
A workout facility is located in Tower Hall.
Macklanburg Playhouse adjoins the Performing Arts
Department production shop and the student-run Warehouse Theatre.
The playhouse seats 350 and includes a state-of-the-art computerized
lighting control system, sound system and modern rigging equipment.
Some unique features are a fully trapped stage floor; 8-foot-by-32-foot
flexible apron deck; dimmer per circuit lighting distribution; and
an independent intercom system. The building houses faculty offices,
a rehearsal hall, an art gallery and a box office.
The Visitors Center, a four-story building, houses
the Office of Admissions and provides rooms for guests of the College.
The building also contains the Macklanburg Gallery, which
exhibits the Berman Collection and works of art by Albert and Arland
Christ-Janer.
Other
Buildings
Classrooms, studios for fashion design, dance,
music and drama, and student publication offices are located in
several traditional and modern buildings; administrative offices
are centered principally in Hickman Hall.
Also on campus are the experimental arena-type Warehouse Theatre
with seating for about 300; the Johnson Plant Laboratory
(greenhouse); and the Audrey Webb Child Study Center, with
the Stephens College Children's School. Stephens Stables,
including indoor and outdoor arenas, paddocks and rings, and two
stable blocks, are close to the main campus. The indoor arena, renovated
in 1999, furnishes all-weather accommodations for riding instruction
and horse shows.
Department
Instructional Resources
Department collections—materials that
are the working tools of a department—are housed in the various
academic departments and supplement the collections of the Hugh
Stephens Resources Library. They include the Department of Art's
collection of more than 5,000 color and black-and-white slides and
1,000 mounted prints; and the Art History Program's collection of
more than 35,000 art history color slides and special collection
of art reproductions.
Studio and practice instruments available to music students include
grand pianos, studio spinets, a two-manual neoclassic Aeolian-Skinner
pipe organ and a Rutkowski and Robinette two-manual harpsichord.
Special facilities of the Department of Mass Communication in the
Helis Communication Center include KWWC-FM, a 1,250-watt radio station;
a fully equipped television studio; and a newsroom with desktop-publishing
equipment.
The Department of Fashion boasts the Historical Costume Collection
of more than 12,000 garments and accessories of European and American
origin. The collection spans the years from 1750 to the present.
Fully equipped drawing and design studios are available for student
use.
For a closer look at campus, visit our Campus
Tour.
