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Student Life and Services
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In enriching college life includes a well-balanced mix of SDHpacademic and extracurricular activities. The University offers a unique blend of student organizations and activities with an emphasis on student-run services and businesses.
While much of the information provided here applies primarily to students at the Kingston Campus, you can find more information on offerings at URI’s Providence Campus on pages 18 and 75 of this catalog, by visiting , or by visiting Room 125 at the Providence Campus.
Undergraduate Orientation
Orientation programs that facilitate new students’ entry into the campus community are administered by University College. New students are charged a fee to cover expenses associated with participation in orientation such as room, meals, and materials.
New Student Orientation. All new first-year undergraduate students attend a two-day orientation to plan their academic programs, meet with an academic advisor and register for first-term classes, learn about URI, and begin to acquire the skills essential for successful transition from high school and home to the University community. Admitted students begin receiving orientation registration materials in April.
Parents and family members of new students are invited to attend a specialized family orientation program, which coincides with New Student Orientation.
Transfer Orientation. Transfer students with 24 credits or more who are admitted to University College, rather than any of the degree-granting colleges, are invited to attend Transfer Orientation. This one-day program is designed to acquaint transfer students with some of the unique features and procedures of the University. Students meet with academic advisors and register for first term classes.
Orientation for International Students. OISS has implemented an orientation program and ongoing workshops to provide assistance in personal, academic, and financial matters to our international community and their dependents. Through this venue, the Office of International Students and Scholars contributes to the University of Rhode Island’s commitment to a global perspective. Staff members are available to help students adjust to life at the University and in the United States.
Lifestyles
Undergraduate Housing. Residence halls and boarding facilities are available to URI students during the regular academic year and during summer sessions. Some students prefer the option of living in a fraternity or sorority or off campus. Because of the ongoing residence hall renovation project, on-campus housing for incoming transfer students is extremely limited.
Residence Halls and Dining Centers. There are 19 residence halls, two undergraduate apartment complexes, and multiple theme houses on campus offering a variety of living accommodations. Notices are forwarded to all residence hall students during the spring semester to inform them of the housing application procedure for the following year. After returning students have been assigned, first-year students who have paid their housing application fee by May 1 will be assigned to the designated first-year housing spaces. All other students will be assigned on a space-available basis. Assignments of incoming students are generally made in the order in which their housing deposits are received. Every effort is made to honor roommate requests. For rates and contracts, see page 22.
Applications for residence hall living can be obtained from the Department of Housing and Residential Life, Roger Williams Building. Phone: 401-874-4151.
More information about residence hall living at URI can be obtained by visiting www.housing.uri.edu.
For students’ convenience, URI offers two dining centers, two cash restaurants, a café, library coffee cart, a bakery, and a warehouse shopping center with a wide variety of food items. These facilities were constructed with bond funds. In order to guarantee repayment of these bonds, the University requires that all students living in residence halls choose from a selection of available meal plans.
Each URI student also has the opportunity to obtain a Ram Card account, which is an optional debit card account accessed through their student ID card. Students who participate in the program have the ability to purchase food and supplies from various on- and off-campus merchants. Unused dollars in the Ram Account transfer from semester to semester until graduation.
Fraternities and Sororities. About 1,000 students participate in URI’s fraternity-sorority system, which sponsors 13 houses designed for congenial small-group living. The Office of Campus Life advises these groups. The Greek houses promote scholarship, citizenship, and small-group living. Purchasing and business management for these houses is provided by a private corporation controlled by the fraternity and sorority members.
Graduate Housing. Interested students should contact URI’s Department of Housing and Residential Life for information, at 401-874-5390.
Commuting. URI typically has two kinds of commuters: those who live “down-the-line” and those who live “at home.” There are usually about 6,000 undergraduate students commuting daily to classes here. There are a variety of services available on campus for them. Dining Services offers special meal plans for commuters, and the Commuter Housing Office provides resources and information. Commuters have access to campus computer labs, to Health Services, and to other campus resources.
To receive a parking pass, commuter students must register their vehicles with University Parking Services. A permit may be obtained by filling out an online application at www.uri.edu/parking.regis.html. All students will be charged a fee for all parking passes. Contact Parking Services at 401-874-9281 with any questions.
If you need bus and train schedules or carpool information, visit the Memorial Union Information Desk or Commuter Housing Office.
The Commuter Lounge and Commuter Housing Office are located on the third floor of the Memorial Union. The office provides rental and roommate listings for URI students, faculty and staff, as well as assistance with landlord/tenant legal questions, general campus information, and an online listings of properties. The Commuter Housing Office also coordinates a spring Off-Campus Housing Fair, and other publications and information.
For more information, contact URI Commuter Housing, 302B Memorial Union, call 401-874-2828, e-mail CHO@etal.uri.edu, or visit www.uri.edu/commuter_housing/.
Commuting from “Down-the-Line.” A number of students live in houses or apartments in the southern Rhode Island area known as “down-the-line.” Juniors and seniors as well as graduate students often choose to live off campus within a 10- to 15-mile radius of the University where summer homes are rented to students for the school year. Typically, a student will pay $300-600 a month, plus utilities, for each bedroom in a furnished house. Supermarkets, laundries, restaurants, shopping centers, and recreational facilities are nearby.
Since most of these rentals are five miles or more from campus, students without cars should investigate the availability of public transportation. A local bus service connects the shopping and service areas in Wakefield with the University. Some of the outlying resort areas, including Narragansett Pier, Galilee, and Scarborough, are also included in the bus routes. Bus service is also available to the Amtrak railroad station and Green Airport, and to Newport and Providence.
The Commuter Housing Office provides a computerized listing of nearby rooms, apartments, and houses available to students. They also offer a roommate matching service and assist students with information on landlord-tenant issues.
Independent Students. Independent or nontraditional students make up over 10% of URI’s undergraduate population. Any students over the age of 23 that is either returning to the University for a second degree, or students that are starting anew are eligible to benefit from the services that the Independent Student Services office provides. Independent Student Services is housed at the Women’s Center on 22 Upper College Road. The office is always on hand to lend individual support and ease an Independent Student’s transition to college life. For more information on Independent Student Services, call 401-874-2097 or visit www.uri.edu/women_center/.
Women Students. Women students make up more than half of URI’s total student population. A Women’s Center, administered by the Office of Student Life, provides the necessary resources to help create an environment rich in role models and free of sexual inequities. In addition, it coordinates lectures, programs, and activities of special interest to women. The Women’s Center has moved to a new location at 22 Upper College Road and includes a residential component for Women in Science and Technology, a Violence Against Women Prevention Program, and the Rose Butler Browne Women of Color Mentoring Program. Phone: 401-874-2097.
Multicultural Students. Approximately 800 students use a variety of services for multicultural students at URI. African-American, Native American, Asian, Latin-American, Cape Verdean, Haitian, Muslim, and gay students have formed special-interest groups to further meet their needs. The Multicultural Student Center, located near the Memorial Union, serves as a gathering place for leisure, meetings, workshops, and various activities. Counseling, programming, and other services are provided by the staff of Multicultural Student Services (401-874-2851).
Bilingual and multilingual students can further develop academic English skills through programs offered by the English Language Studies program. Phone: 401-874-4686.
Talent Development. URI also offers Special Programs for Talent Development, a program of special interest to many minority and disadvantaged students. Talent Development was started in 1968 to help young people who otherwise could not attend the University. “TD” provides a special opportunity for minorities and disadvantaged persons.
Talent Development at URI includes a spring Saturday PREP Program and an intense six-week academic summer experience on the Kingston campus, which many TD students mark as a turning point in their lives. If completed successfully, students arrive in Kingston in September as a URI student and a member of Talent Development. URI provides TD students with special academic advising, unlimited individual tutoring, financial aid based on need, and a strong support community.
Any Rhode Island resident who meets URI’s core requirements may apply for Talent Development. Specifically, the program looks for minority and/or disadvantaged students who, without TD and its support services, could not expect to be admitted to URI. Even those who finished high school a while ago, or have a GED, may still be eligible for Talent Development.
To find out more about Talent Development at URI or to get an application, ask your guidance counselor, call 401-874-2901, e-mail tdinfo@etal.uri.edu, or visit www.uri.edu/talent_development/. You can also find more information on the program on page 33 of this catalog.
International Students. The Office of International Students and Scholars (ISS) provides services for all internationals holding F and/or J nonimmigrant visa designations. We serve approximately 500 international visiting scholars, graduate and undergraduate students (degree and non-degree) and their dependents, from as many as 59 different nations. We are responsible for communicating and interpreting statutes, rules, and regulations that derive from the Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, Department of Justice and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (formerly known as the Immigration and Naturalization Services). We also disseminate information pertinent to international visitors from the RI Division of Motor Vehicles, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Social Security Administration.
The staff at ISS is committed to providing valuable and comprehensive services to our international community. ISS also provides workshops and cross-cultural programming events for students, their dependents, and scholars. Our center serves as an excellent cross-cultural meeting place, hosting meaningful social events and recreational trips. Our comfortable lounge is equipped with many amenities and is open to any URI student or URI student organization. We co-sponsor events with Civic Clubs, such as Rotary International Club, the Rhode Island Association of International Advisors, and New England Land Grant Colleges International Advisors.
For questions or inquiries contact our staff at 37 Lower College Road, Kingston, RI 02881. Phone: 401-874-2395. Fax: 401-874-2402. E-mail: issoff@etal.uri.edu. Web site: www.uri.edu/iss/.
International Teaching Assistants. The International Teaching Assistant (ITA) Program offers resources and support for international graduate students who serve as teaching assistants. Oral proficiency testing, using the SPEAK test, is offered each semester to allow them to demonstrate their competence in spoken English. ITAs can also enroll in ELS 512 and 612, courses specially designed to prepare them for their teaching roles. If interested, contact the ITA coordinator in the English Language Studies Program, Independence Hall, 401-874-4686.
Disability Services for Students. The URI community encourages contributions to the learning environment from members of all its cultures, including students with disabilities. The office of Disability Services for Students recognizes disability as cultural diversity and fosters an inclusive environment for all in the University community through education, awareness, and accessibility.
We accomplish this mission by:
• recommending and coordinating reasonable accommodations in a variety of domains (exam, course, program, housing, transportation),
• encouraging development through self-advocacy and personal decision making,
• supporting a commitment to academic success,
• providing training and information to faculty and administration that uphold the inclusion of persons with disabilities.
Individuals who wish to discuss program and course accommodations and/or adaptive technology may contact the director of Disability Services in the Office of Student Life, 330 Memorial Union. Phone: 401-874-2098 (for TTY access call R.I. Relay at 1-800-745-5555).
For more information on disability services at URI, visit www.uri.edu/disability_services.
Student Government
Undergraduate. The Student Senate is a legislative body that represents the undergraduate students to the administration and faculty. It oversees student organizations, and provides funding for them by distributing a portion of the Student Services fee. The Senate Office is located in the Memorial Union, phone: 401-874-2261. URI’s Interfraternity Council supervises fraternity affairs and the Panhellenic Association governs sorority life.
Graduate. The Graduate Student Association (GSA) is a government body maintained by and for the graduate students of the University with the purpose of enhancing the academic, intellectual, and social opportunities of its members. Officers and members of the GSA Senate, which are elected annually from the entire graduate student body, distribute GSA funds and represent the graduate students to the University. The association has members on the Graduate Council. GSA offices are located in the Memorial Union, phone: 401-874-2339, e-mail: gsa@etal.uri.edu.
Student Discipline
Administered by the Office of Student Life, the University Student Discipline System is designed to promote student growth and to preserve the atmosphere of learning necessary to the well-being of all students. Community standards of behavior and University policies for students are published in the Student Handbook. The Student Discipline System receives complaints or allegations from aggrieved parties, the available facts are gathered and evaluated, and the case may be referred for formal administrative action or a hearing. Sanctions range from “no further action” to suspension or dismissal from the University and may include education, assessment, fines, or other conditions relating to the nature of the violation.
Student Services
Career Services. Offering both “high tech” and “high touch” approaches, Career Services helps undergraduates, graduate students, and alumni assess their career goals, develop job search and decision making skills, and implement career objectives. Career Services works with over 2,000 active employers from all geographic locations seeking interns, summer employees, part-time workers, and full-time job candidates. Professional staff collaborate with faculty in all academic disciplines to prepare students for employment.
A full range of career development, planning, and placement services is provided to students from their first year at URI. A staff of professionally trained career counselors with advanced degrees provides one-to-one confidential career assessment, testing, and advising. During the academic year, students may use walk-in quick question hours for resume critiques and other immediate concerns.
The Career Resource Center houses print and multimedia materials, including self-assessment tools, company information, and an internship corner. Workshops on choosing an internship, choosing a major, writing a resume, and interviewing are held in the CRC.
BEACON (Become Employed at Career Online Network) is a 24/7 state of the art recruiting program powered by MonsterTRAK.com, the college-specific site of Monster.com. Accessed through http://career.uri.edu, the Career Services Web site, this secure system allows students and registered alumni to search and apply for full- or part-time jobs, on-campus work-study and non-work-study jobs, and internships. Through this service, students can also apply for on-campus interviews, forward their resumes to employers, and find mentors.
Job fairs are held in both fall and spring and are open to all. Specialty job fairs attract students and alumni in particular fields, including engineering, the environment, human services, business, nursing, pharmacy, and education. Additionally, there is a summer internship fair and a general job fair, “Passport to Employment.”
URI Career Services also assists students whose goals include graduate or professional school. Career professionals review graduate school essays, assist in graduate school research, and direct students to resources for locating fellowships, graduate internships, and research opportunities. In addition, a graduate school expo is held in the fall.
Open year-round. For more information and hours, visit the Career Services Web site at http://career.uri.edu. Or call 401-874-2311 or email career@etal.uri.edu.
Counseling. The Counseling Center, located in room 217 of Roosevelt Hall, is staffed by professional counselors, psychologists, and social workers. The Center offers individual counseling and a variety of skill-building and support groups to help undergraduate and graduate students achieve their academic and life goals. The Counseling Center provides assistance to students in areas such as adjusting to college life, coping with stress, building satisfying relationships, planning for the future, and coping with depression, substance use, or other mental health challenges.
Counselors work closely, as appropriate, with other health care providers in Health Services. Additionally, some students contact the Counseling Center for help with concerns about a roommate or friend. Information shared in counseling is confidential. Center hours are Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m-4:30 p.m with extended hours until 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
To make an appointment, students may simply stop by the Counseling Center, complete a brief self-assessment form, and schedule a time to meet with a counselor. If you need help with an urgent matter, ask to speak to the counselor on call. Phone: 401-874-2288. Web site: www.uri.edu/coun.
University Chaplains. The University chaplains are active in providing religious services and in counseling, advising campus groups, teaching, and programming. The chaplains are available to all students, staff, and faculty on a 24-hour basis. The chaplains represent the Roman Catholic, Jewish, and Protestant communities; referrals are available to representatives of other faiths.
Memorial Union. The center for campus activities, the Memorial Union houses a wide variety of educational, social, cultural, and recreational services and facilities for both undergraduate and graduate students. These include meeting and conference rooms, lounges, study rooms, radio station, campus newspaper offices, game room, offices for student organizations, scheduling and information office, a mailroom for students living on campus, ballroom, optical shop, flower shop, convenience store, cafeteria, restaurant, pizza shop, and a coffee and pastry shop.
Among the services provided are a unisex hair salon, credit union, copy center, bookstore, computer store, computer lab, 193° Coffeehouse, and the Memorial Union Technical Productions (which offers technical services in sound and lighting).
An undergraduate student board of directors works with the director and staff of the Memorial Union/Student Involvement Office to determine policy for the Union and plan a full program of social, cultural, intellectual, and recreational activities.
Health Services. Located in the Potter Building, adjacent to the residence halls, Dr. Pauline B. Wood Health Services provides primary ambulatory care to students. Nurse practitioners and physicians see students by appointment Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the general medicine and women’s clinics with laboratory, radiology, and pharmacy services available. Limited services are available on Saturdays, Sundays, and most holidays with physician and pharmacy coverage from noon to 4 p.m.
Specialists in orthopedics, surgery, internal medicine, dermatology, gynecology, and psychiatry hold regular clinics at the Potter Building. Allergy injections are given, provided the vaccines are supplied by the student. A travel/immunization clinic administers vaccines available from the pharmacy. Care provided at Health Services is billed to insurance companies. Your mandatory health service fee covers all office visits not covered by insurance. Lab and X-ray charges not covered by insurance are the responsibility of the student. Co-payment for pharmacy is expected at the time of service.
Hospital care is available in the local community, as is referral to specialists. All medical expenses incurred outside the University’s Health Services are the responsibility of the student. Therefore, students are required to have adequate accident/sickness or health insurance. Students who choose a private physician assume responsibility for expenses incurred. See “Accident/Sickness Insurance“ on page 21 for additional details or consult the Health Services brochure, “To Your Health.”
Health educators provide a variety of services to promote and enhance personal health and well-being. Information on how to achieve a healthy lifestyle is provided through wellness clinics, outreach activities, awareness days, and dynamic peer education program workshops. A registered dietitian is available for nutrition education and counseling.
An emergency medical service (URI EMS) staffed by student volunteer EMTs responds to campus emergency medical calls 24 hours a day and transports patients to Health Services or the South County Hospital emergency room during the academic year.
The Academic Enhancement Center. Located on the 4th floor of Roosevelt Hall, the AEC, which now includes the Writing Center, supports academic achievement for students in all majors.
The AEC offers one-to-one and small group tutoring in all academic areas by appointment and on a walk-in basis. Tutors include teaching assistants from various academic departments and qualified undergraduate and graduate students. Students may seek AEC services for specific courses or assignments, or for general academic and organizational skills such as time management, effective listening, note taking, or test taking. The AEC also helps organize and facilitate study groups, and provides study group materials to students and faculty who wish to organize their own study groups. Workshops on study skills and organizational skills are offered throughout the year, and by appointment to campus groups. Additionally, AEC staff work with faculty and staff to strengthen connections between classroom and lab learning and AEC services.
The AEC is open throughout the academic year, Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Sunday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Up-to-date information on services available, office hours, tutor and teaching assistant schedules, tutor profiles, and special announcements are available on the AEC Web site, at www.uri.edu/aec. Students may make appointments online or by calling 401-874-2367. Walk-ins are taken on a first-come-first-served basis.
Students in excellent academic standing at all levels are encouraged to apply for tutoring positions in the AEC. Applications are available at the AEC Web site and in the AEC office.
Writing Center. Located in the heart of the Academic Enhancement Center on the 4th floor of Roosevelt Hall, the Writing Center provides free writing assistance to anyone in the university community. Tutors work with all writers, from all disciplines, on all projects, at all stages of the writing process—from brainstorming and understanding the assignment, to drafting and organizing, to revising and learning how to self-edit. Sessions may be one-to-one with an individual tutor, or in small groups working on the same assignment.
The Writing Center focuses on helping students build strategies and habits for effective writing in any situation. Tutorials are limited to 30 minutes per session, but writers are encouraged to return for more visits at several points during each project. In addition to our sessions, other resources include homework and study tables, reference books, computers for researching and composing, handouts on particular grammatical challenges, and conversation groups for ESL writers.
Although appointments are encouraged, walk-in sessions are sometimes available. The Writing Center is open approximately 40 hours each week, with both day and evening hours. For more information, call the Writing Center at 874-4690, log on to the Web site at www.uri.edu/aec, or stop by the Academic Enhancement Center on the 4th floor of Roosevelt Hall.
Most tutors have been trained either as writing instructors in the College Writing Program, or as peer tutors through a course in writing consultancy (WRT 353). Anyone interested in becoming a Writing Center tutor should enroll in WRT 353.
Student Involvement
Student Programs and Organizations. Social, recreational, cultural arts, and coeducational programs are sponsored by many different offices and student organizations at the University. These events are funded by student fees, and opportunities abound for students to become involved in selecting and coordinating them. The Student Entertainment Committee sponsors an extensive series of social programs featuring concerts, local and regional musicians, other live entertainment, lectures, and films.
Over 90 student organizations exist in which students can get involved. Covering a wide range, these organizations may be social, political, academic, or media-related; several represent special-interest groups. Thousands of students participate in the activities coordinated by these organizations. For information, students are directed to Room 210 in the Memorial Union.
Office of Student Involvement and Experiential Learning. Staff members in the Office of Student Involvement and Experiential Learning create special programs and workshops that foster student involvement and offer academic opportunities outside the classroom. They advise student organizations in all areas of group dynamics, leadership, personal growth and development, and program planning. In addition, they coordinate Ram Tour weekend bus trips, and the annual A. Robert Rainville Student Leadership banquet.
Center for Student Leadership Development. The Center for Student Leadership Development offers for-credit classes, internships/teaching assistant positions, workshops, conferences, and programs designed to enhance students’ leadership skills. The credit classes count toward the academic minor in leadership. Other academic opportunities include individually designed internships and the Peer Leaders for FLITE and Modern Leadership Issues classes. Popular programs and conferences include the First-Year Leadership Retreat, Outdoor Adventure Programs, and the Activism Training Series. The Center also manages URI’s North Woods Challenge Course. In addition, leadership and group development consulting services are available to student organizations. For more information, visit the Memorial Union, Room 210.
Student-Run Businesses. The Memorial Union offers students a number of opportunities to run businesses under full-time supervision but with a large amount of independence. Enterprises such as the flower shop, Memorial Union Technical Productions (sound and lighting), and the 193° Coffee House allow for management training and excellent work experience.
Athletics and Recreation. The Department of Athletics and Recreation is committed to providing athletics and recreational opportunities to students, staff, and alumni. The department seeks to complement the University’s academic goals by enhancing physical, emotional, and social well-being through leisure activities and lifetime involvement in sports.
The emphasis of the program is to provide opportunities that encourage the pursuit of lifetime activities, a sense of commitment and teamwork, and the development of personal character while maintaining an environment that values cultural diversity and gender equity among its student athletes and department staff.
Men’s intercollegiate teams participate in Division I-AA football and Division I baseball, basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, and indoor and outdoor track and field. Women’s intercollegiate teams participate in Division I basketball, cross-country, field hockey, gymnastics, rowing, soccer, softball, volleyball, indoor and outdoor track and field, swimming and diving, and tennis.
Competitive club sport teams include equestrian, ice hockey, lacrosse, roller hockey, men’s rowing, rugby, sailing, skiing, synchronized swimming, ultimate Frisbee, men’s volleyball, water polo, and wrestling. The Intramural Sports Program also offers badminton, basketball, beach volleyball, billiards, bowling, flag football, floor hockey, golf, indoor soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball throughout the year for all-male, all-female, and coed teams. In addition to membership in the Atlantic 10 Conference, the University holds membership in the Atlantic 10 Football Conference, NCAA, ECAC, and the New England Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
The 7,657-seat Ryan Center is the cornerstone of URI’s athletic complex and serves as the home of Rhode Island men’s and women’s basketball teams. Located adjacent to Meade Stadium, the $54 million facility gives Rhode Island one of the finest facilities in the nation. The 200,000-square foot arena combines the heart and spirit of venerable Keaney Gym with the amenities, services, and conveniences of a modern arena. The Bradford R. Boss Arena is one of only two ice facilities in the state that operates for the entire year and is open for public skating.
The University has a number of other facilities for athletics and recreation. Mackal Field House contains two fitness rooms complete with weight training equipment, Lifecycles, stair climbers and rowing machines, a 200-meter track, four basketball courts, and a gymnastics training center. Mackal also houses the athletic department’s administrative offices.
The 5,810-seat Meade Stadium opened in 1928 and underwent major renovations in 1980. An additional 2,200 seats are planned for the west sideline. Opened in 1953, 3,385-seat Keaney Gym is the site of Ram volleyball matches. Keaney Gym was the home of the men’s and women’s basketball teams for 49 seasons. Tootell Physical Education Complex offers an aquatic center with competitive, instructional classes; two varsity team weight rooms; a dance studio; and East and West Gyms, available for basketball, volleyball, and badminton.
Complete with a new scoreboard and dugouts, Bill Beck Field is the home of the URI baseball team. The playing surface has been upgraded and is one of the top baseball facilities in the Atlantic 10 Conference. Other athletic facilities at URI include a lighted soccer field, field hockey field, 12 tennis courts, softball field, Arrigan Sailing Center, Campanella Rowing Center, two beach volleyball courts, and practice fields.
Honor Societies. The University has chapters of a number of national honor societies, invitation to which is recognition of scholarly accomplishment. Several societies recognize scholarship over a wide range of disciplines including: Sigma Xi, the scientific honor society; Phi Beta Kappa, a national liberal arts honor society; Phi Eta Sigma, a national honor society for freshmen; and Phi Kappa Phi and the Golden Key, national honor societies for general scholarship. More specialized honor societies include: Alpha Sigma Lambda (continuing education), Alpha Kappa Delta (sociology), Beta Alpha Psi (accounting), Beta Gamma Sigma (business), Beta Phi Mu (Beta Iota chapter, library science), Chi Epsilon (civil engineering national honor society), Dobro Slovo (Slavic), Epsilon Rho (continuing higher education), Eta Kappa Nu (electrical engineering), Financial Management Association (URI chapter, finance), Gamma Kappa Alpha (Italian), Kappa Delta Pi (education), Kappa Omicron Nu (O Alpha Mu chapter, family and consumer studies), Kappa Psi (pharmacy), Lambda Kappa Sigma (women’s pharmacy), Lambda Pi Eta (Beta Gamma chapter, communication studies), Lambda Tau (medical technology), Omicron Delta Epsilon (economics), Order of Omega (fraternity/sorority), Phi Alpha Theta (history), Pi Kappa Lambda (Zeta Epsilon chapter, music), Phi Sigma Iota (foreign languages, literature, and linguistics), Pi Delta Phi (French), Pi Mu Epsilon (mathematics), Pi Sigma Alpha (Gamma Epsilon, political science), Pi Tau Sigma (mechanical engineering), Psi Chi (psychology), Rho Chi (pharmacy), Sigma Delta Pi (Spanish), Sigma Iota Epsilon (management), Sigma Pi Sigma (physics), Sigma Theta Tau (nursing), and Tau Beta Pi (engineering).
Other Organizations. In addition to intercollegiate athletic teams, a number of organizations represent the University in competition, exhibitions, and public performances. The University Band, Chorus, and Orchestra are under music department direction, and students may receive credit for participation in any one of these. The University Theatre, under the direction of the Theatre Department, presents several plays each year. The URI Debate Council is directed by members of the Department of Communication Studies and participates in intercollegiate debates. Cheerleaders are active at varsity football and basketball games and other special events and rallies.
There are about 30 professional organizations on campus related to academic areas, and a number of groups serving social, recreational, cultural, religious, and political interests.
Students publish a newspaper four times a week, a monthly literary magazine, a monthly publication of political and social commentary, and a yearbook. Radio station WRIU, with local AM and FM reception that reaches all of Rhode Island and parts of Connecticut and Massachusetts, is student-run and operates 365 days a year. There is also a 24-hour student-run ambulance service.
Parent Involvement
The Parents Council helps parents establish a relationship with the University and offers opportunities to support URI admissions, fund-raising, career services, Orientation, and Family Weekend. In addition, the URI Parents Fund provides unrestricted funding for academic, social, and cultural programs for URI students and their families. For more information, please call Teri Woodbine at 401-874-4505, e-mail twoodbinei@advance.uri.edu, or visit www.advance.uri.edu/fundraising/parentscouncil/.
Feinstein Providence Campus
While the University’s ASFCCE students can avail themselves of all that’s available in Kingston, they also find a range of unique services and offerings at the campus in Providence, from a bookstore and library to peer counseling and a student lounge. The Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Continuing Education is dedicated to fulfilling the unique needs of adult students. Students at the Feinstein Providence Campus enjoy a Child Development Center, and evening and Saturday services. There is also has an Academic Skills Center, Testing Services and a LEAP program (Learning Enhancement for Adults Program), which helps students build confidence and skills in math, reading and writing. Students may also qualify for scholarships offered exclusively to ASFCCE enrollees. For more information on the range of activities and services at the University’s Feinstein Providence Campus, turn to page 75 or visit ASFCCE Student Services (Room 125 of the Shepard Building).
Confidentiality of Records
Procedures for the release and disclosure of student records maintained by the University of Rhode Island are in large measure governed by state and federal laws. Where the law is silent, the University is guided by the principle that the privacy of an individual is of great importance and that as much information in a student’s file as possible should be disclosed to the student on request. A current or former student has the right to inspect and review official records, files, and data directly related to that student. This right does not extend to applicants, those denied admission to the University, or those who were admitted but did not enroll. Some records are not available to students.
Third parties do not have access to personally identifiable records or information pertaining to a student without the written consent of the student who specifies that the records be released. Parents and spouses are considered third parties. However, changes in the law permit release of information in two cases. The University may notify parents or guardians of a student under 21 years of age about an alcohol or other drug violation; and the University may release information about violations involving violence or issues of safety and well-being.
Detailed guidelines for the release and disclosure of information from the student records are available from the Office of Student Life. These guidelines comply with the legal requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, as amended.
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