The University of Nebraska-Lincoln has several resources across campus for students’ academic and personal needs. These resources provide a variety of services for students, from homework help to psychological counseling, and most services are free of charge. The Daily Nebraskan compiled a list of some the resources new UNL students should be aware of, but it is by no means comprehensive.
The Mathematics Resource Center
The Mathematics Resource Center, located in Room 13 of Avery Hall, is a free tutoring service for undergraduate students enrolled in 100-level math courses. Students enrolled in higher-level math courses or enrolled in math courses at other colleges are not eligible for help at the MRC.
Graduate and higher-level undergraduate math majors staff the resource center. The center is open Sunday through Friday, although the hours may change for fall 2019, according to Josh Brummer, director of the MRC. The center is closed during student holidays and spring and fall breaks.
The center has tables designated by math course, from MATH 100A to MATH 107H. Students can learn with other students in their course at the designated table while tutors are helping other students. Students do not need to make an appointment at the MRC and can come in any time during operating hours. According to Brummer, students should come ready with all of their course materials to optimize the tutors’ time.
UNL Writing Center
The UNL Writing Center helps students and faculty of any background through all stages of the writing process, according to its website. The Writing Center’s main location is Room 102 in Andrews Hall, which is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Friday. The Writing Center also provides students with writing help Monday through Thursday from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Adele Learning Commons. According to its website, the center has other locations with different hours, including the Nebraska East Union, Gaughan Multicultural Center and the Engineering Library.
The center’s writing consultants help UNL students of all majors with any form of writing, from academic research papers to personal cover letters. Consultants are graduate and undergraduate students of any field of study who are interested in writing.
Rachel Azima, director of the UNL Writing Center, said students can come to the Writing Center without having any writing completed. Consultants can help students brainstorm and plan their writing piece. Students are encouraged to make an appointment with writing consultants to guarantee a time set aside to focus on their writing. Students must create an account through an online portal in order to set up an appointment.
According to the website, students should bring their written work and their prompt or syllabus, if applicable. Writing consultants will sit down with students and ask them to describe their writing purpose and goals, as well as where they are in the writing process. Conversations are generally between 25 and 50 minutes long, and consultants will spend the last five to 10 minutes helping students develop a plan for their writing.
“Students often don’t know that they can bring in any kind of writing,” Azima said. “It doesn’t have to be for an English class.”
Chemistry Resource Center
The Chemistry Resource Center in Hamilton Hall Room 227 is a space where students taking a chemistry class can get help from teaching assistants, attend professors’ office hours and review their tests, according to staff assistant Peg Bergmeyer.
She said students who need assistance can stop in and look for an assistant with a name tag corresponding to their class. She said the center regularly has teaching assistants for general chemistry and organic chemistry.
Many offices of general chemistry and organic chemistry professors are also in the resource center. Bergmeyer said when students take a chemistry exam, they can access the exam the following day in the resource center.
The center is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
“We’re happy to help anybody that wants to stop in and get some questions answered,” she said.
College of Business Teaching and Learning Center
The College of Business opened the Teaching and Learning Center to provide free tutoring services for students enrolled in business classes.
The Teaching and Learning Center is located in Room 14 in Howard L. Hawks Hall. According to Kasey Linde, the assistant director of the learning center, course tutoring sessions are available every day of the week.
The majority of classes offered by the College of Business are tutored by trained undergraduate students. According to Linde, all tutors have taken the courses they teach and attend course lectures.
She said the center has structured tutoring for 25 courses, specifically the courses every business major is required to take. She said students do not need to make an appointment and can come into the center during their course tutoring hours, which can be found on the website. Students should bring their course materials and notes in order to maximize their learning experience.
Students can additionally request a one-on-one tutor, which includes specialized software and curriculum not offered during regular tutoring sessions. The center also provides exam review sessions throughout the semester.
If students don’t see a scheduled time for their course, they can receive help by requesting a tutor on the center’s website.
Additionally, Linde said the center will implement virtual tutoring sessions via Zoom next fall. The College of Business is making more classes available in an online format, she said, and the Teaching and Learning Center wants to work with students who are taking classes off campus. The center will also expand its services in fall 2019 and provide appointment-based tutoring where students can work one-on-one with tutors.
“Just spend an hour with us. Instead of doing it on your own, just spend that time with us. It’s already structured,” Linde said.
HuskerTech
Provided by Information Technology Services, Huskertech serves the technological needs of students and faculty at UNL. Huskertech is both a help center and a store. Students can go to the help centers on both City and East campuses for technology-related problems. The store, located in the lower level of the Nebraska Union, carries technology and accessories for students.
Brandon Young, IT user services manager, said the help center assists students, faculty and staff when they have questions on device troubleshooting, repairs, software or operational problems. He said Huskertech can help students with Internet connection, email, UNL system-wide applications and servers and PC or Mac software and hardware issues.
Megan Haugerud, Huskertech assistant manager, said the store offers specialized Verizon and Sprint cellular plans, discounted software, Apple products, PC laptops and tech accessories. She said the store is always refreshing its product lineup and running promotions.
“Students should swing by more than just at the beginning of the semester,” she said. “There’s something new going on every month.”
University Health Center
The University Health Center is a “one-stop shop” for all of students’ health needs, according to marketing strategist Aimee Grindstaff. UHC offers a pharmacy, a fully-functioning medical clinic, Counseling and Psychological Services, physical therapy and health education and outreach, Grindstaff said.
She said students don’t always realize their student fees cover a wide range of health center services, including five free medical or travel clinic visits each year, free flu shots, free CAPS use and free doctor-ordered wellness profiles.
“People see the building and hear about us and think that we are just for when you're feeling sick or have an injury,” she said. “A lot of students don’t realize that we provide a lot of other medical services.”
Big Red Resilience & Well-being
UNL’s Office of Student Affairs implemented the Big Red Resilience & Well-being program in 2018. According to Connie Boehm, the director of Big Red Resilience & Well-being, the office created the program to help students overcome challenges and improve their overall mental health.
Located in Room 127 in the University Health Center, Big Red Resilience & Well-being is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Big Red Resilience & Well-being offers well-being coaching to help students thrive and create the life they want to live, according to its website. Well-being coaches are both undergraduate and graduate student volunteers who applied to help other students.
Well-being coaching sessions are primarily located in the program’s office.
Additionally, Big Red Resilience & Well-being offers a zen room for students to meditate and relax. Big Red Resilience & Well-being also partnered with Campus Recreation to offer nutrition demonstrations and education for small groups. These demonstrations teach college students how to cook easy, healthy meals.
Big Red Resilience also provides suicide prevention training for university-affiliated organizations, student-affiliated organizations, departments, colleges and programs. According to Boehm, all of the well-being coaches have gone through suicide prevention training.
Boehm said Big Red Resilience & Well-being will launch a program in fall 2019 called Huskers Bounce Back to help students develop resilience in the face of challenges and stress. The program will involve students and faculty talking about their own challenges.
Counseling and Psychological Services
Counseling and Psychological Services is a team of psychologists and counselors who work with students to help them explore their thoughts and feelings. According to Dr. Besett-Alesch, CAPS director, CAPS assists students with their mental, psychological and emotional well-being when they experience issues. They provide individual counseling, couples and partner counseling, groups and workshops, disordered eating and body image services and alcohol and other drug resources.
A student’s first CAPS visit consists of going over a list of questions to evaluate how CAPS can serve them and help them find a counselor.
The services at CAPS are free but limited. CAPS uses a short-term model for individual counseling before recommending students join group counseling or referring students to professionals in the Lincoln community.
Students can make an appointment by calling 402-472-7450. CAPS has its own office on the second floor of the University Health Center with a designated waiting room.
University Dining Services
UNL has five different dining halls which, according to the Dining Services website, offer everything from traditional fare to international entrees and make-your-own dishes. The dining centers are open seven days a week during breakfast, lunch and dinner hours. Dining Services also offer three grab-n-go locations on City Campus where students can pick up items like sandwiches, chips, fruit, drinks and dessert.
With an all-access meal plan, students can enter a dining hall as many times as they like during the day. However, students cannot go to both a grab-n-go location and a dining hall during the same meal period. The all-access plan includes three guest meals per semester.
With a Red 440 meal pack, students get 220 meals each semester, and one meal is used each time their card is scanned. Students are limited to five scans per meal period, which can be split between dining halls and grab-n-go locations. Meals can also be used on guests up to five times a day. The rules are the same for the White 250 meal pack.
Campus Recreation Center
The Campus Recreation Center is free for all UNL students to use and is open from 5:45 a.m. to midnight most days of the week. According to its website, the facility provides multiple cardio areas, a weight room, various courts, sporting equipment and a pool.
Students can also attend group fitness classes held throughout the week for $5 each or $48 for a semester-long pass.
The recreation center also houses physical and massage therapy offices and the intramural sports office, which hosts a variety of athletics, from basketball to bubble soccer.
Across the street from the recreation center is the Outdoor Adventure Center, which features a climbing wall and climbing classes. Students get one free climb per semester.
Parking and Transit Services
UNL offers a free bus service for students to travel between City, East and Innovation Campuses. Students can access their bus pass by downloading the StarTran app. Busses run every 10 minutes during weekdays and every 20 minutes during weeknights, according to the website.
If a student is on campus late at night and doesn’t feel comfortable walking home alone, they can utilize the Husker Safe Walks program by calling the UNL Police Department. A community service officer will escort them to their car or residence hall.
Parking and Transit Services also oversees campus parking passes, which can be purchased on the website.