kttalion ^Aggielifi Page 3B • Monday, August 31, 1998 University services offers ways for students io deal with problems of college life Bhanoo*, Boh* ^udit Office, >r account Jnique stui am. program chools'crc ice alsoffi fed ft ?d to help: 1 A&Mhai illed willii itions, si 1 tradition 1 ons and inization om the iw areertoic BY KASIE BYERS The Battalion lexas A&M University offers a taste of independence to stu dents as well as an education, (espite this new-found freedom, :nts do not have to face their ’e problems alone, le Student Counseling Center Student Conflict Resolution ler offer multi-faceted services Ifocus on the education of the mt and their personal growth, he Student Counseling Center, ed in Henderson Hall, provides main services: academic coun- g, career counseling, personal iseling and crisis intervention, services are covered through Student Service Fee. Wade Birch, director of Stu- iit Counseling Services, said the svice focuses on helping students Je it through A&M. )ur main purpose is to do rthing we can to help students’ bate from Texas A&M Universi- piirch said. “That’s the only rea we exist.” iS is staffed by 15 psychologists, [counselors and one psychiatrist, irch said the SCS staff is there to ly serve the students needs. [[The SCS] staff are not academ ies, and they’re not researchers. Kr all were hired because they Ter to work with students,” he |. “It is absolutely required that ieptaff care about the students. ” Academic counseling, learning Js resources and personal coun ting are offered Monday through pthySa.m. to 5 p.m. !roup counseling and special fkshops are set up at various i throughout the semester, student-manned Helpline is liable 24-hours a day for stu- Its, and a 24-hour CounselLine al ls students to call and listen to in- Jnational tapes on a variety of ppcs ranging from depression to posing a career. Hesomces in the Learning Library, including videos, hputer programs and cassette |es, can be accessed after nor- operation hours, Monday pough Friday 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. by Uppointment. Birch said any student who even questions whether or not they should seek counseling should use the Student Counseling Service. “If that thought, T wonder if I need counseling,’ crosses a student’s mind, it is probably a good indicator they need to come visit us,” he said. “1 suggest to students to get in as ear ly in the semester as they can be cause we frequently have a long waiting list.” Birch said despite the waiting list, emergency situations and crisis in tervention situations do not require an appointment. “Emergency services are avail able to students day, night and on the weekends,” he said. “An emer gency is whatever the student de fines to be an emergency. ” Emergencies after normal busi ness hours are referred to the SCS HelpLine (845-2700), which is- manned by students and backed by five psychologists. “There is not a minute in a sev en-day, 24-hour week a student can not get a human voice here,” he said. “They are going to get some one. The HelpLine is here to be sup portive and give students advice and referrals. “For serious things, the students [workers] do not take the calls, they are patched on to the psychologist who is on duty.” Birch said crisis intervention is required when a suicide at tempt or other emotional trauma has occurred. “If someone kills themselves, that is the only problem we can’t solve,” he said. “If a student is feeling that desperate, there are things we can do to help them.” The Student Conflict Resolution Center located on the second floor of YMCA offers students legal ser vices, mediation services and judi cial services. Rick Powell, licensed attor ney, counsels students on legal issues but does not represent them in court. He gives advice on issues ranging from automobile accidents to alcohol violations at no charge to the student, but cannot provide advice when the adverse party is another A&M stu dent or the University. Brandon Bollom/The Battalion Shaun Travers, coordinator of judicial services in the SCRS, discusses SCRS services with Andy Coffey, a senior environmental design major. Powell said a lot of first-year students get in trouble with alco hol violations. “Minors don’t hesitate to drink in front of the police or walk around with beers,” he said. “They don’t know it is a crime to hold a friend’s beer, even if they are not drinking it.” Powell said students who wish to speak to him concerning legal issues only need to e-mail or call the SCRS of fice to make an appointment. “Students should bring any pa perwork they have concerning the issue with them,” he said. “I’ll listen to the student’s story to get the facts and discuss their options with them. They can then choose what course of action they wish to take. ” Negotiation and mediation ser vices aids students in working out their personal disputes with roommates, neighbors, landlords or co-workers. Rene Harris, coordinator of ne gotiation and mediation services, said students who do not wish to go through mediation with a problem have the option of get ting a consultation. see Services on Page 4B. leutel seeks to better students , bodies nary tie UniveiS? t still i# lice woii't lower is ^ niester.wei omplintf 111 53 com®; i we fe vei rgr area ^ lid. “We’tfj jcurityo 1 ®' muse#' toys 65 r® ty office 15 tstaff i# 1 ecunty artmetit» on of tit® e 5,500 owned Airp ort ' s " trority. tabli^ itrol to n camp® ■ being* ” vtfiatb 3 ! at stud* ■ntheyaf: ;ort s , t1 patr^ frig dad* Ahich is , at ^" Brandon Bollom/The Battalion loan Davis, a Beutel R.N., gives a TB skin-test shot to Bin Lu, a computer science graduate student. BY KASIE BYERS The Battalion r x i here is no record of when the A.P. Beu tel Health Center was first given the honorary title of “The Quack Shack” by lexas A&M students, but Dr. Lucille Isdale, Iiealth center director, is working hard to erase ■ from the students’ memories. I Isdale said when she came to A&M in Aug. 1995, the health center needed help. I “1 found past evaluations of the health cen- terthat had never been opened,” she said. ■From these evaluations, I found out the front jtaffwas rude and the service was slow.” Isdale clearly saw she had her work cut out ^ Jor her from the beginning. i 3 net"' 1 afo ct %| kxx»:K>:>c.> oooooooo cxxjooo inP 0V *i L pfuifT Cvill aM I rjattli 515 ^eH eartl 3 s a [ el l gid, beCJ tng on -we I 13 ';.'' kl ?l fned" for* L a-es* 1 ^ “I felt we had a situation where we could really do something,” she said,” because it was not a top quality place when I first came on staff.” After three years and numerous changes to create a student-focused health center, the number of complaints by students has de creased by 40 percent. Regardless of whatever nickname A&M’s health center carries, Beutel is a step above A&M’s first health center in 1876, which was set up in a series of tents. The health center was moved four times during A&M’s history, its last move was in 1973 to its present-day location. This health center was named in honor of Dr. A.P. Beutel, a former member of the A&M Board of Regents and former Vice President and General Manager of Dow Chemical Co., Freeport Division. Today’s facility, located on Houston Street between the YMCA building and Fish Pond, has eight staff physicians who offer health care Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., a 24-hour Dial-a-Nurse service and 24- hour ambulance service. The health care services provided by the center include preventive medicine, a women’s clinic, an asthma clinic, health edu cation, medical laboratory, pharmacy, physi cal therapy and radiology. Most services offered by the health center are covered by the Student Health Services Fee, but those that are not, such as X-rays and prescription medications, are offered to students at costs lower than private health care providers. Appointments for services can be made Monday through Friday 24-hours a day. From 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., students can make ap pointments at 845-6111 and after 5 p.m. at 845-2822. Visits to the health center by students are strictly confidential under the patient/provider confidentiality provisions, and information regarding a students’ visit only will be released with the patient’s writ ten permission, except in cases specified by the law. Isdale said she is striving to make the health center student-focused and education- focused. “My main objective is to educate,” she said. “If I can educate and make a difference in a student’s lifestyle, I made an impact.” Isdale said she also expects the health cen ter staff to focus on the students. “We have students to see. If [the health care staff] does not want to see them, [they’re] in the wrong place,” she said. see Health Center on Page 4B. Design and create your own jewelry or have us custom-make jewelry for you. 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Holieman) 1-800-382-9811 in College Station New Opportunity for Career in Nursing for Persons with Non-Nursing Baccalaureate or Higher Degrees • Unique option to enter nursing at the Graduate level in the Alternate-Entry Master’s Program in Nursing • Three-year program of full-time study (after pre requisites) leading to Master of Science in Nursing • Concentrations in adult health nursing, parent-child nursing, nursing systems, and community health nursing • Advanced practice as clinical nurse specialists in adult health and parent-child nursing • Approved by the Texas Board of Nurse Examiners as a program leading to RN licensure For information, contact the Graduate Coordinator at (512) 232-4783, visit our Website at: http:// www.utexas.edu/nursing/html/ae-msn.html ore-mail Dr. Lynn Rew: lrew@nursing.utexas.edu THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN SCHOOL OF NURSING 1700 Red River ★ Austin, Texas 78701-1499 Howdy Dance The Class of £ 99, c 00, and ‘01 Welcome the new Freshmen lass of 2002 to Texas A&M. Come out and join the fun and dancing after All-U Night at Kyle Field. Go with your Fish Camp DG! I i" —i I A Wednesday, September 2, 1998 9:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Harry’s (across from Zachry, on South College) restaurant WELCOME BACK SPECIAL! Beer § Margaritas Buy an entree and get a 50