Tag Archives: Millersville Campus Resources

Lists

The ABC’s of Millersville University

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Read below to see all of the great things Millersville University has to offer from A to Z!

A: Alumni mentors are available to offer support and advice to students through Mentor Collective. Click here to learn more.

B: Best friends are made here!

C: Campus Life offers students a variety of ways to get involved in campus life both on campus and virtually. Visit Get Involved to find information about student organizations and events.

D: Diversity Award from “INSIGHT Into Diversity” magazine was awarded to Millersville University for the 9th consecutive year.  Click here to read a blog post about the award and MU’s commitment to diversity.

E: EPPIIC Values are the core values which members of the Millersville University community live by. They include exploration, professionalism, public mission, inclusion, integrity, and compassion.

F: Food truck called the “Marauder Express” is located between South and West Villages and is serving delicious food Monday’s through Friday’s from 7:30am to 1:30pm.

G: Graduate Assistants (GA’s) work hard to help students however they can. Click here to learn about East Villages GA Hannah Stoner, or here to learn about West Villages GA Will Halko, and stay tuned for a post about South Villages GA Gabby Vaxmonsky!

H: Honors College at Millersville encourages students to reach their full potential and provides students with additional opportunities for both academic and personal success.

I: Internship information, career resources, Millersville’s Career Connection Job Database, Job and Internship fairs, and much more are made available to students through Experiential Learning and Career Management (ELCM). 

J: Join organizations on campus to meet new people, experience new things, gain skills, and more. Millersville has over 150 clubs for you to check out!

K: Kick back and relax by the pond after a long day and enjoy the beautiful views:

Millersville pond during fall. Photo Source

L: Library resources like eBooks, research guides, and more are super helpful tools available for students to take advantage of. Visit the McNairy Library and Learning Forum website to learn more.

M: Marauder Gold can be used to make purchases not just on campus, but at local stores, restaurants, and pharmacies. Click here to view the full list of places that accept Marauder Gold. GRUBHUB is now an option as well! More information is forthcoming about how to sign up for and use GRUBHUB with your Marauder Gold.

N: News, reminders, interesting blog posts (like this one!), and more are shared with students, faculty, and staff via email everyday through ‘Ville Daily. Make sure to regularly check the ‘Ville Daily announcements to see what’s new!

O: Over 100 undergraduate majors for students to choose from. Click here for more information.

P: Park City Mall, Lancaster Central Market, and so many other places nearby for Marauders to check out.

Q: Quilt known as the “Negating Hate” digital quilt is a virtual quilt which was made to unite the Millersville University community and promote eliminating all forms of discrimination. Click here to view the quilt.

R: Residence halls provide a safe environment for students to learn, thrive, and make connections in. Visit the Housing and Residential Programs site for more information, or check out some of our other blog posts to learn more!

S: Starbucks and Saxbys are conveniently located right on campus.

T: The Snapper is a student-run newspaper with articles on a wide variety of subjects, as well as podcasts and videos. Click here to check it out.

U: University Activities Board has plenty of fun events and activities  for students to enjoy on-campus or virtually.

V: Volunteer Central is Millersville University’s way to provide students with opportunities to give back to the community through volunteering. Visit the Volunteer Central web page for more information and ways you can help.

W: Writing Center provides students with the opportunity to meet one-on-one with a trained peer tutor for help with writing and editing papers.

X: X-ray spectrometer, atomic force microscope, and a cryogenics unit are among some of the many scientific instruments in Millersville’s inventory which students in scientific fields can use. Click here to view the complete list.

Y: You become part of a family when you attend Millersville University. The Millersville community is supportive and accepting, and is something to always cherish being a part of. Check out our blog post where Marauders expressed what being a member of this community meant to them.

Z: ‘Za (aka pizza) can be picked up or delivered from the Sugar Bowl, House of Pizza, Nino’s Pizzeria, and more local pizza spots.

Want a fun challenge? Comment the first letter in your first name and use that letter to start a sentence saying what you love about Millersville!

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Academics, Advice

Should You Declare a Minor?

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In college, your major is your main focus as far as academics go; it’s what most of your courses are based around and it’s what you’ll receive a degree in. Picking a major can be challenging, especially if you have multiple interests. Fortunately, if you’re interested in a certain subject but don’t want to make it your major, you can minor in it! Minors are a great way to increase your knowledge on a subject, whether that subject ties into your major or if it’s just something you’d like to know more about.

Here is some advice that will help guide your decision of whether or not adding a minor is the right choice for you:

Minors have certain requirements that need to be fulfilled just like majors do. Click here to view the list of minors Millersville offers and their requirements. Your advisor is a great resource to go to with any questions about minors. It’s also important to talk to your advisor when considering a minor to make sure you are actually eligible to minor in that field. For example, a Business Administration major with a concentration in Marketing cannot minor in Management. They would instead have to add management as a second concentration. Before you meet with your advisor, I’d recommend doing some research on your own to learn more about the minor you’re considering. If you’re interested in minoring in Psychology, for example, you could look into Millerville’s Psychology Department, the faculty and staff, and research the required courses to see if it’s a good fit for you.  Having this information can help you decide if declaring a minor is the right choice for you. 

Minors related to your degree are a good way to learn more about the field you’re interested in, may expand your job opportunities after graduation, and can help your resume stand out among other job candidates. However, don’t limit yourself to thinking that you can’t or shouldn’t minor in a field that isn’t related to your major – you can! Robert Kiyosaki, a businessman and author, said that the most important thing a person can do to help themselves is “to know a little about a lot.” Having a minor that isn’t related to your major can help you graduate with a more varied skill set and knowledge in more than one subject area. 

The biggest piece of advice I can give you when deciding on whether or not to declare a minor is to know yourself. Can you handle the additional courses? Will you still graduate on time? Is it something you’re really interested in? What do you want to get out of it? These are all good questions to ask yourself during this process. You may want to declare a minor to appear more well-rounded and hard working to employers, but standing out to employers also requires things like good grades and participation in extracurricular events.  If a minor interferes with these things, it may not be the right choice for you. If you already have your plate full with other courses and maybe a part-time or full-time job, or if you’re struggling to keep your grades up, I’d recommend making a pros and cons list to help you weigh your options and reach out to your advisor for advice. 

It’s important to remember that even without a minor, there’s still plenty you can do to make sure your a good candidate for jobs once you graduate. Click here to read an article from the American Marketing Association where two recruiters answer questions about things such as what they look for in a resume and how to get noticed, or this article from Indeed.com about how to impress potential employers and coworkers during a job interview. Of course, you can also still explore a subject area you’re interested in without declaring a minor in it by simply taking a few elective courses.

You can remove a minor at any time, so there’s no pressure to stick with something that isn’t working out for you. To add, remove, or change a minor, visit this link and fill out the form called “Academic Program Change Request”. This form was called the “Academic Minor” form until very recently, so if you hear it called that, just know the person is talking about the “Academic Program Change Request”.

Whatever you decide to do, just make sure you’re happy with your choice and that you’re doing what’s best for yourself and your education. 

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Announcements

Millersville University Named Safest School in PA for the Second Year in a Row!

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We are very excited to share that Millersville University was ranked the safest school in PA for the second year in a row by YourLocalSecurity! Millersville’s Housing and Residential Programs is just one of the departments on campus that makes student safety a priority. Our staff works hard to ensure students have a safe environment to live and learn in.

Here are some of the things our staff has to say about safety in the residence halls:

Michael Davis, one of the Residential Area Directors on campus, says, “I want to highlight the staff (both DA’s & RA’s) for helping to keep the buildings safe. The DA’s are the first line of defense and the RA’s going on rounds/tour and knowing their residents all helps to maintain the effort we see.”

The Resident Assistants at Millersville have an emphasis on safety and put a lot of work into making the residence halls safe for students. When asked about their thoughts on safety in the residence halls, here’s what they had to say: CJ Longo says, “The health, safety and security of my residents is my top priority. I am constantly on the lookout for potential safety hazards when I am on duty to prevent an incident before it arises. I also educate my residents during floor meetings about safety procedures in the halls as well as other campus safety resources.” Lauren Taddeo, another Resident Assistant, stated, “Ensuring residents are safe and secure ultimately increases the overall productivity and quality of ResLife.” 

The following shows how students ranked their satisfaction on certain areas of hall safety and security in a survey (Note: Satisfaction rankings were on a scale from 1-10, with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest):

  1. Satisfaction of security of possessions in their rooms was ranked 6.13 out of 10 on average by 526 students.
  2. Satisfaction of how safe students felt in their rooms was ranked 6.26 out of 10 on average by 526 students. (This was one of the top 3 highest scored factors in the survey)
  3. Satisfaction of how safe students felt in their hall building was ranked 6.23 out of 10 on average by 526 students. (This was one of the top 3 highest scored factors in the survey)
  4. Satisfaction of how safe students feel walking on campus at night was ranked 5.75 out of 10 on average by 526 students.

Student safety always has been and always will be a top priority to Housing and Residential Programs staff. Gabby Vaxmonsky, a Graduate Assistant, said, “The safety and security of residents is extremely important to me. At the front desk I work with the DA’s and RA’s to check ID’s and sign guests in and out so we can help to keep the halls safe. Also, I encourage residents to stop by during my office hours to talk with me about any questions or concerns that come up.” 

To learn more about how we are keeping the residence halls safe, visit our webpage. To learn more about campus safety at Millersville University, visit the campus safety webpage. 

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Resources

Who’s Hiring Right Now?

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Finding a summer job is tricky enough, let alone in the middle of a pandemic. Fortunately, a lot of companies are hiring right now, and Millersville University is here to help you get hired too. Keep reading to learn more about who’s hiring and how you can get a job this summer: 

LinkedIn is a great tool for people trying to find a job. It helps you connect and network with a ton of employers and shows job listings for companies. An editor at LinkedIn posted a list of companies currently hiring. The list is updated regularly and includes links that redirect you to the employers LinkedIn so you can apply directly from there. Here is a link to the post, which you can view even if you don’t have a LinkedIn account: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/news/heres-whos-hiring-right-now-4525187/. Other sites that post job listings include Glassdoor, neuvoo, Indeed, and Monster.com.

Experiential Learning and Career Management (ELCM) at Millersville University helps students get internships and jobs both during their undergraduate career and after they graduate. They currently have virtual services which include resume and cover letter critiques, LinkedIn profile feedback, interview assistance, and more. They are also offering students a lot of opportunities to connect with employers virtually. The virtual job and internship fair is being held on June 3rd, 2020 from 11am to 4pm. Here is the link to sign up and learn more: https://www.millersville.edu/elcm/fairs-events/job-internship-fair.php. Students can always contact ELCM via email (careers@millersville.edu) or by phone (717-871-7655) for assistance and more information. 

I also recommend that you take a drive around your neighborhood and look for “Now Hiring” or “Help Wanted” signs for stores that are currently operating in-person. Stop inside businesses that interest you with these signs in their windows and ask them how to apply. Bring copies of your resume along and give one to the manager to show that you’re prepared and so they can see your qualifications and skills. It’s also important to remember that even if you don’t get the job, it’s still helpful to you to go through the process of applying and interviewing so you gain experience. That way, you’ll do even better next time and get the job you’re looking for! Also, emailing your resume and some information about yourself to employers you are interested in working for (even if they do not currently have jobs available) is a great way to show them you’re dedicated and highly interested in what they are doing. 

Good luck on your job search! Leave a comment if you have any questions or thoughts, we’d love to hear from you! Make sure to follow us on our social media accounts for updates and other helpful information: @villehousing on Twitter and Instagram. 

Lifestyle / Hall Life, New / Prospective Students, Resources

Millersville University Resource List for Incoming Students

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Starting college for the first time can be daunting if you don’t know what resources are available on campus. Millersville University offers many different resources, so here is a compiled list of resources both new and returning students can benefit from.

Academic Advisement
Academic Advisement strives to help students develop educational plans, clarify career and life goals, and reinforce self-direction among many other things. Academic Advisement also spearheads the retention initiatives — these initiatives are for students in academic jeopardy. They are here to help you, no matter what!

Campus Ministries
Through Campus Ministries, there are several campus clubs, campus ministers, and off-campus worship opportunities. Wherever faith takes you, Millersville has something to offer.

Center for Counseling and Human Development
The Counseling Center is committed to providing quality mental health care to Millersville’s campus. The Center offers bibliotherapy, lightbox therapy, pet therapy, drug and alcohol counseling, crisis intervention, support groups, and counseling for issues such as depression, anxiety, eating disorders, grief, homesickness, stress, and test anxiety. Students may receive up to five counseling sessions a semester, but if students seek long-term counseling, they may be referred to resources in the community.

Center for Health Education and Promotion
The Elsie S. Shenk Center for Health Education and Promotion (CHEP) educates students on topics including alcohol and other drugs, body image, dating and domestic violence, healthy relationships, safer sex, sexual assault, stalking, and stress. Students have the opportunity to train to become peer educators and teach their fellow students how to lead a healthy lifestyle and safely make the most out of their college experience.

Center for Student Involvement and Leadership
The Center for Student Involvement and Leadership (CSIL) is Millersville’s go-to place for students who want to get involved. CSIL allows students to get involved on campus, serve Millersville’s community, and develop their leadership skills.

Dating and Domestic Violence Awareness
If you are a victim of sexual and/or dating violence, Millersville and the surrounding community can help. Millersville provides resources and services on- and off-campus to students in need. CHEP has sexual assault and dating and domestic violence advocates that students can talk to on Mondays and Tuesdays, located in the Montour House. The Counseling Center, Health Services, and Title IX can help as well. The Millersville Police Department is also available to students, as well as the YWCA and Domestic Violence Shelter, both located in Lancaster City.

Digital Learning Studio
The Digital Learning Studio offers support for faculty and students with various new technologies, including Microsoft Office, Adobe Suite, iMovie, MU Video, 3D printing, and more. The Digital Learning Studio provides one-on-one instruction to help the Millersville community gain experience with state-of-the-art technology.

Dr. Rita Smith Wade-El Intercultural Center
The Dr. Rita Smith Wade-El Intercultural Center helps to create and sustain a welcoming and inclusive campus. The Center aims to provide students a space to explore their multiple and intersectional identities and learn about the background and experiences of others.

Experiential Learning and Career Management
Experiential Learning and Career Management (ELCM) provides student-centered career programs, experiences, and learning opportunities to help students achieve their personal and professional goals. They host job and internship fairs, graduate school fairs, and career week. ELCM also assists students seeking traineeships, internships, or volunteer opportunities.

Field Services
The Department of Field Services encompasses Early Field Experience, Advanced Professional Studies (APS), Student Teaching, and Certification. Students will complete several field experiences before obtaining their degree or certification. Clearances are required before students are allowed in the field. Information about clearances can be found here.

Financial Aid
The Office of Financial Aid helps students obtain financial assistance to help pay for college. The Office answers questions about FASFA, eligibility of financial aid, grants, scholarships, and loans.

Fitness Center
The Fitness Center, located in the Student Memorial Center, is designed to meet the fitness needs of students, faculty, staff, and the community. The Fitness Center has cardio equipment, free weights, weight machines, and open recreation areas. Kickboxing, taekwondo, yoga, and more classes are offered. Membership is included in tuition if students are enrolled in 12+ credits.

Health Services
Health Services sees students by appointment for a variety of services including, but not limited to, athletic physicals, pre-employment and driver’s license evaluations, STI testing and treatment, laboratory testing — both in-house and outside, and evaluation and treatment of acute illness and injury. There is a self-care cart located in the waiting area of Health Services for students who need wound care and upset stomach, pain, allergy, cold, and flu relief. Sanitary supplies and condoms/dental dams are also available in this cart.

Help Desk (IT)
The Help Desk is available to students who need help accessing their student accounts, have questions about Office 365, or need assistance in an on-campus computer lab.

ID Cards
Students will need their IDs to use the facilities and services at McNairy Library, the dining halls, Pucillo gymnasium, Biemesderfer Stadium, the Student Memorial Center, Health Services, the Fitness Center, and other areas around campus. ID Services assists students who have damaged or lost their IDs. If students wish to use Marauder Gold, they will use their ID to access those funds.

MU | Alert
Subscribing to MU Alert allows students to receive text messages and/or emails notifying them if there is an emergency on or near campus and if campus closes or is delayed due to inclement weather.

McNairy Library and Learning Forum
McNairy Library provides many different services to students. The library’s collection includes roughly 300,000 print books, more than 400,000 electronic books, government documents, videos, special collections, thousands of print and electronic journals, and several hundred databases. Students can also access resources held by other libraries through RequestIt and E-Z Borrow. Librarians have created course- and discipline-specific research guides. They are also here to assist students in formulating research questions and identifying, locating, and evaluating the information needed to answer these questions. The library also has an Ask a Librarian service where students can contact a librarian by chat, telephone, in person, or via email. A message board on the main floor of the library indicates who is responsible for answering questions for the Ask a Librarian service and where they are physically located.

Office of Learning Services
Students who are eligible for accommodations will work with the Office of Learning Services to ensure accommodations are provided. Documentation is required before Learning Services can complete a list of accommodations. You can learn about the required documentation here.

Office of Student Accounts
The Office of Student Accounts is responsible for collecting student tuition and fees. If there are any questions surrounding refunds, housing and dining rates, or payment options, the Office of Student Accounts can help.

Registrar
The Registrar assists students in registering for classes and with their degree audits. Degree audits are reviews of past and current coursework that provides information on completed and remaining requirements necessary to complete their degree. Transcript requests are also processed through the Registrar.

Shuttle Schedule
Students may access the MU Xpress, MU Park City Xpress, and Route 16 at no charge by showing their ID during the fall and spring semesters. Students can travel to other locations on Red Rose Transit Authority’s buses but will need to transfer.

Student Conduct and Community Standards
The Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards is in place to educate students about the expectations of Millersville University. Students who wish to file a report of sexual misconduct or aggressive, erratic, or hostile behavior can do so from the Office’s homepage.

Title IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 states “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” Millersville will not tolerate any acts of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation. If students believe they are the victim of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation, Title IX is here to help.

University Police
The University Police provides 24-hour coverage year-round with a full staff of state-commissioned police officers. The Department assists with investigating criminal and suspicious activity, enforcing University rules and regulations and Pennsylvania laws, directing pedestrian and vehicular traffic, providing security, and much more. The University Police are also available to assist with non-emergencies.

Veterans Resource Center
The Veterans Resource Center provides resources for veterans ranging from healthcare to education benefits. Any questions veterans would have for the VA, the Resource Center provides a stepping stone on where to go.

Writing Center
The Writing Center is available for students who are struggling to start writing a paper, are unsure if the paper makes sense, or need someone to look at the paper before turning it in. The Writing Center offers walk-in tutoring, online tutoring, and 30-minute appointments.

*** Image Courtesy of Free Images