Where to go for what

There are plenty of things that need to be done once a student starts college. Financial aid and signing up for the next semester’s classes can become a real headache. Luckily, Western offers students a way to solve their problems without leaving the campus. Before the creation of OneStop in the Killian Annex building, students would have to hike across campus to different buildings in the frequent rain storms or cold in order to talk to advisors and handle financial aid. Though only in its second year of creation, OneStop holds some of the most important facilities. Inside, students can get tutoring services, academic advising and help filling out financial aid papers. The tutoring center is a closed-room environment where students help students understand material from any class. The academic advising center is for students who have not declared a major or that have questions about a specific major. Some advisors are even WCU graduates and can be reached through e-mail, phone or a one-on-one consultation. These advisors will also help students to find a major that is right for them and to register for classes. The financial aid services at OneStop are home to all of the information concerning a student’s tuition payment, account summary and any paperwork that needs to be filed. The OneStop homepage also has links to helpful information like dining services and residential living resources. Another helpful area in OneStop is the Student Support Service, which deals with counseling, academic mentoring, advising and tutoring for students who have not declared a major. Since choosing a major can be a difficult and on-going process, advisors help students keep track of where they are and what steps they should take next. One of the frequently used ways to keep track of a student’s personal information is to use the MyCat webpage. MyCat is a collection of links and information about a student’s courses, registration, personal services and campus life. Students can check any information about themselves without even leaving their computer. Under the My Course section, a student can see present classes and e-mail addresses to those professors. There is also a link to the Academic Calendar and Liberal Studies Programs. The next link is for course registration. Towards the end of each semester, students will visit this site to register for future classes or to drop/add classes. The third link is to a student’s personal services. Under this site, a student can view their grades, student records and personal information. The final two links are about the campus life. Campus events and news are posted under these links, along with intramural sports schedules and Women’s Center Events. There are also stories about news that is happening in the world and articles by The New York Times, Rolling Stones and Wired News. Occasionally, students’ computers will either crash or have problems that students cannot fix. Luckily Western’s ITS (Information Technology Services) can fix almost any computer problem by having a fellow student come directly to the computer to fix the problem. Students only have to call ITS and an assistant will arrive, depending on their schedule. ITS also comes in handy if students forget their password. The IT webpage also has free anti-virus downloads for any student on or off campus. After college, most students will be looking for a job in the field of their degree. Career Services is dedicated to helping students find a job or internship and hosts on-campus recruiting events. The Career Service homepage also features links to MonsterTrak and LocalJobs.com where students can post resumés and look for future jobs. During an on-campus recruiting event, students can speak with companies recruiting new employees or distribute resumés.