Facilities and Services

Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office at Texas Tech provides programs and services directly to students, assists students in successful transition to college, helps students explore and clarify values, encourages development of friendships among students and a sense of community within the institution, creates opportunities for students to expand their aesthetic and cultural appreciation, teaches students how to resolve individual and group conflicts, provides programs and services for students who have individual difficulties, helps students understand and appreciate differences, and designs opportunities for leadership development.

The Dean of Students programs and services include Adult Learner Services, Code of Student Conduct (discipline), Crisis Intervention, Disabled Student Support Program, Death and Illness Notification, Free Speech Area, Freshman Year Experience, Grounds Use Requests, Leadership Development, Multicultural Services Center, Minority Student Advising, NIC Fraternity Advising, NPHC Fraternity-Sorority Advising, NPC Sorority Advising, Parent Relations, Student Affairs Handbook, Student Organization Registration, Solicitation Requests, Student Life Research, Student Grievances, and Who's Who. The Dean of Students Office is located in 250 West Hall, (806) 742-2192.

Student Health Services. Student Health Services is a primary care clinic staffed with experienced physicians, nurse practitioners, health educators, and support staff who provide care for minor illnesses and injuries, with a focus on prevention.

Students enrolled for 4 or more semester hours pay a medical services fee that entitles them to necessary visits to Student Health Services and access to other medical services, when appointments are available. A valid Texas Tech ID is required to access the clinic services. A student who is unsure about a medical issue or problem can call 743-2860 and speak to the Senior Nursing staff privately and confidentially. The Health Education department provides information and presentations on health-related topics. Student Health Services also offers anonymous HIV testing and counseling. If a student is sick and all appointments are taken for the day, an urgent care nurse will advise on care until the student can be seen. Care is provided at Student Health Services in Thompson Hall, and physicians do not make residence hall or house calls. As over 150 appointments are available daily for care, students have a wide variety of choices for appointment times and conflicts with class schedules are very few. Students are not given excuses for missed classes due to a visit to the clinic. Students with a major illness may consult their physician at Student Health and may request an excuse for excessive class absences due to that illness.

Services offered at Student Health include Primary Health Care Clinic, Men's Health Clinic, blood pressure and cholesterol checks, contraceptive counseling and information, pharmacy, anonymous HIV testing and counseling, Women's Health Clinic, immunizations, care for sprains and strains, prescription medications, lifestyle and weight management consultant, and educational information on more than 100 health issues. Offered by referral by a Student Health physician are the Dermatology Clinic, Orthopedic Clinic, and x-ray and laboratory services.

Pharmacy services are conveniently located in the same building. The pharmacy can fill most physician prescriptions, including those written by a family physician, and it offers many over-the-counter medications at reduced prices for students. Pharmacy purchases may be charged to major credit cards.

Student Health's Nurse Clinic provides MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella), influenza, tetanus, TB testing, and hepatitis B immunizations at a nominal charge. The University requires that all students born after December 31, 1957, provide proof of two MMR immunizations in their lifetime. The first immunization must have been received on or after the first birthday. The two immunizations must have been received at least 30 days apart. Students must meet this requirement by providing documentation of or receiving the immunization at Student Health by the 5th week of the first semester of enrollment. Failure to comply with this policy will result in a hold being placed on the student's records. Documentation may be mailed or faxed (743-1071) to Student Health Services or turned in at new student orientation. There is a $5 charge for the MMR immunization. Although it is not a requirement, the Center for Disease Control recommends an annual TB test and the Hepatitis B immunization. These services are available for $7 and $35, respectively.

After-hours care is not covered by the medical services fee; however, Student Health Services has arranged for a discounted rate for Texas Tech students at University Medical Center's Emergency Center and the Fast Track Medical Clinic, both of which are located in the Health Sciences Center building. Hospital care and outside referrals are not covered by the medical services fee.

Student Health Services is not a substitute for major medical insurance. Students should have their own insurance policies or see that they are covered by their parents' insurance. Students who are thus covered should carry an insurance card in case they need medical care not covered by the medical services fee. Students who do not have insurance or who are not covered by a family policy may purchase student injury and sickness insurance through a plan offered by the TTU Student Association. Applications may be obtained from Student Health or from the Student Association, Room 230 University Center.

In accordance with state law, a student's medical information is kept completely confidential and cannot be released to anyone without the student's written permission unless otherwise authorized by law. Brochures detailing Student Health Services are available in several locations on campus. Students may contact Student Health at 743-2860 with any questions or concerns. Student Health Services is located in Thompson Hall at Drive of Champions and Flint Avenue on the north end of the campus. Services are available by appointment by calling 743-2848. Appointment hours are 8-5:30, Monday-Friday. Summer and interim hours may vary.

Housing and Dining Services. The University operates several residence halls and two apartment complexes with space to accommodate approximately 5,200 residents. Graduate students may select from a wide variety of living options including air-conditioned and non-air-conditioned halls, suites, and apartments. Some halls are open year round to accommodate the schedules of graduate students. Wells-Carpenter, a new apartment-style hall that will open for occupancy in the fall of 1998, will feature furnished three-bedroom townhouses and four bedroom flats (private bedrooms); two bathrooms in each unit; living rooms; kitchenettes; private phone lines; and Ethernet connections. Gaston Apartments feature furnished one or two bedroom flats; one bathroom; living room; and a full kitchen. Local telephone service, Ethernet connections, and basic cable TV services are provided to all on-campus residents in addition to many other services.

Students may dine in any of the conveniently located dining halls and enjoy the extensive menu variety and award-winning international theme lines. Several meal plans are available, allowing students to choose the number of meals per week most suitable to their lifestyle. Doak Hall, Gaston Hall, and Gaston Apartment residents may select a "no meal" plan option. Students living off campus may purchase a meal plan if desired.

For additional information or to obtain a residence hall application, contact the Department of Housing and Dining Services, Box 41141, Lubbock, TX 79409-1141 or call (806) 742-2661.

Career Planning and Placement Center. Graduate students are strongly encouraged to use the services available through the University's centralized Career Planning and Placement Center. A number of services including career counseling, on-campus interviewing opportunities, Career Opportunity Bulletins, an extensive seminar series, the establishment of placement credentials, a career planning and placement library, and Career Days are available without charge to graduate students. All graduate students are urged to participate in the center's activities and take full advantage of the services that will be most helpful to them. The center is located in 335 West Hall, (806) 742-2210.

Libraries. The mission of the University Library, the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, and the Architecture Library is to support the University's teaching, research, and service mission and its quest for excellence in all endeavors; to be recognized research libraries of distinction as evidenced by high quality collections and service, supportive and caring environment, and cordial interactions with the people it serves, both on campus and in the larger community; to provide and promote the use of information resources needed by the University's students, faculty, and staff; to provide information resources by participating in reciprocal borrowing agreements among libraries in the state and nation; and to support the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights and Code of Ethics, which provide for freedom of access to collections and confidentiality of user records. The libraries are also committed to serving the resource needs of TTU distance students.

The libraries contain over 1.3 million volumes, 19,196 subscriptions, and over 1 million units of microform. Over 1.6 million items are included in the government documents collections, one of two regional depositories for U.S. government documents in Texas. The libraries are also a Patent and Trademark Depository.

The newly constructed Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library features a regional depository for historical information pertaining to West Texas and the Southwest, as well as the Vietnam Archive, the University Archives, and other special collections and rare books. The University Library houses the Archive of Turkish Oral Narrative and the Institute for Studies in Pragmaticism. The University Library is undergoing a comprehensive renovation, scheduled to be completed in 2000.

In addition to traditional print material, microforms, and audio-video formats, the libraries offer many electronic resources. The library Web page (http://www.lib.ttu.edu) provides access to the on-line catalog for the University Library, Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Law Library, International Cultural Center Library, and Architecture Library. It also provides access to the catalogs of other research libraries, as well as the TTU Health Sciences Library and the Lubbock City-County Library. The library Web page provides full text access to over 1,600 journals in a variety of electronic databases and full text journal collections. Electronic collections cover all subject areas and currently include Project MUSE, IDEAL, Lexis-Nexis UNIVerse, ABI/INFORM, Periodical Abstracts, Ei Village, MathSciNet, and many more. On-line resources are available from all PC's in each of the TTU libraries, as well as by remote access. A number of CD-ROM databases supplement the resources available on-line and are located in the Reference area of the University Library.

Graduate student consultations are conducted on an individual basis with liaison librarians assigned to each academic department and college. Individual study carrels are available to students at the thesis or dissertation stage of their programs or on an as-needed basis. The libraries subsidize all charges by a lending library for interlibrary loans and for articles provided by a commercial supplier. Reciprocal borrowing agreements allow Texas Tech students to use libraries at nearly all Texas public colleges and universities, as well as some private institutions.

Museum. The Museum of Texas Tech University is an American Association of Museums accredited general museum consisting of the main Museum building, the Moody Planetarium, the Lubbock Lake Landmark, and the Natural Science Research Laboratory.

The Museum mounts temporary and permanent exhibits in the social and natural sciences and the visual arts. The Lubbock Lake Landmark contains a complete cultural sequence from Clovis (12,000 years ago) through historic times. The Moody Planetarium offers public and specially designed school programs. The Natural Science Research Laboratory affords research opportunities in botany, entomology, herpetology, ichthyology, mammalogy, ornithology, and vertebrate paleontology.

A Master of Arts degree in Museum Science is offered as an academic component of the Museum. The graduate program emphasizes thorough preparation in the broad spectrum of museum theory and practice and leads to a Master of Arts degree. Graduates from the program have a comprehensive background in museum studies, preparing them as generalists. In addition, students may elect to become specialists in a number of subdisciplines including collection management and care; exhibitions and interpretation; museology; museum management; and curatorship in anthropology, art, ethnology, history, and the natural sciences.

Curatorsmost of whom hold joint appointments in University academic departmentsare involved in research. The results of their research periodically appear in the Special Publications and Occasional Papers series produced by the Museum.

The Museum of Texas Tech University Association contributes significant amounts of monetary and volunteer support to the Museum. In addition, the association publishes The Museum Digest and the Museum Journal. The Museum publishes a quarterly newsletter, MuseNews.

The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Thursday evening until 8:30 p.m.), Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and is closed Monday. The Museum is closed on state authorized holidays. Planetarium shows are at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, and 2 and 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Computing Services. Current faculty, staff, and students have access to IBM (MVS), Compaq (OpenVMS/Alphaserver), and UNIX computing systems, as well as various types of microcomputers for use in their education, research, and administrative activities.

Academic Computing Services (ACS), based in the Advanced Technology Learning Center (ATLC) in the west, lower level of the Library, provides access to state-of-the-art large systems, servers, and microcomputer equipment and services. Microcomputers available in ATLC labs include Apple Power Macs and Dell PC systems. Terminal network client access to the Compaq VMScluster and the IBM system is available in the ATLC and in most academic buildings. The OpenVMS systems on TTUnet, the campus network, serve as the primary academic large-system computing resource for instruction and research. A MasPar massively-parallel computing system with 2,048 processors is available for selected research projects. Services on the OpenVMS systems include general-purpose computing, (programming languages, statistical programs, and laser printing). ATLC resources include four instructional and general-use labs, an open-access computing area, a teleconference room, a Help Desk, and a print dispatch area.

ACS Help Desk support personnel assist users with a wide range of computing problems. Staff consultants teach shortcourses and help users with in-depth problems on the various computing resources available from ACS and University Computing Services (UCS). ACS produces both printed and on-line documentation, including four newsletters a year, a campus computing magazine, help guides, and manuals on ACS computing systems and services. Most documentation is also made available on the Internet.

Academic departments also provide computing resources for students and faculty in their areas.

Internet access is available for use by computing and network account holders. Messages and files may be transferred to other universities and other research organizations in Texas, the United States, and other countries. Access to on-line catalogs for Texas Tech libraries is provided via the TTUnet academic network. Dial-up (PPP) and World-Wide Web (WWW) services are available on TTUnet.

UCS operates an IBM 9672-R34 mainframe system supporting administrative, instructional, and research activities and offers such services as general-purpose computation, laser printing, optical scanning, and tape rental and storage.

For more information on the systems and software supported by Academic Computing Services and University Computing Services, go to the ACS Web site at http://www.acs.ttu.edu/.

Southwest Collection. The Southwest Collection and Special Collections Library is comprised of rare books, the University archive, the Vietnam Archive, the Archive of Turkish Oral Narrative, and the Southwest Collection. The Southwest Collection is the regional repository for historical information pertaining to West Texas and the Southwest. It has collected and makes available for research more than 1,600 collections of personal papers, and noncurrent business and institutional records, as well as a noncirculating library of Texana, Western Americana, maps, periodicals, photographs, newspapers, taped interviews, films, videotapes, and microfilm.

All materials may be used by both the University community and the general public for research or reference. The Southwest Collection is located in the new Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library Building north of the University Library. Service is provided 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday; and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday. Inquiries and donations are welcomed. Tours are available.

Research Centers and Institutes. In addition to extensive research activity on the part of its individual faculty, the University sponsors sixty institutes and centers that conduct both basic and applied research and provide various services to the public. A list of these follows:

Center for Applied Acoustics Research and Development
Center for Applied Petrophysical Studies
Center for Health Care Strategy
Institute for Biotechnology
Institute for the Development and Enrichment of
Advanced Learners (IDEAS)
International Center for Arid and Semiarid Land
Studies
International Center for Informatics Research
Software Engineering Research, Training, and
Education Center
Teaching, Learning, and Technology Center
The Institute of Environmental and Human Health
Wind Engineering Research Center
Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources
Agricultural Finance Institute
Center for Agricultural Technology Transfer
Center for Feed and Industry Research and Education
Cotton Economics Research Institute
Institute for Research in Plant Stress
International Textile Center
Pork Industry Institute for Research and Education
Wildlife and Fisheries Management Institute

Architecture
Architecture Research Center

Arts and Sciences
Center for Applied International Development Studies
Center for Applied Systems Analysis
Center for Forensic Studies
Center for Historic Preservation and Technology
Center for Petroleum Mathematics
Center for Public Service
Center for the Interaction of the Arts and Sciences
Center for the Study of Regional Economic and
Industrial Development
Center of Sports Health and Human Performance
Cooperative Institute for Convective Meteorology Studies
Institute for Communications Research
Institute for the Mathematics of the Life Sciences
Institute for Studies in Pragmaticism
Leather Research Institute
Southwest Center for German Studies
The Vietnam Center

Business Administration
Center for Enterpreneurial and Family Business
Center for Professional Development
Institute for Banking and Financial Studies
Institute for Leadership Research
Institute for Marketing Studies
Northwest Texas International Trade Center
Northwest Texas Small Business Development Center
Texas Center for Productivity and Quality of Work Life

Education
Virginia Murray Sowell Center for Research
and Education in Visual Impairment

Engineering
Center for Applied Research in Industrial
Automation and Robotics
Center for Energy Research
Center for Multidisciplinary Research in Transportation
Institute for Design and Advanced Technology
Institute for Disaster Research
Institute for Ergonomics Research
MRI Petrophysical Applications Center
Murdough Center for Engineering Professionalism
Water Resources Center

Human Sciences
Center for Financial Responsibility
Center for the Study of Addiction
Child Development Research Center
Home Economics Curriculum Center
Institute for Child and Family Studies
Texas Wine Marketing Research Institute

Office of International Affairs. The Office of International Affairs (OIA) is composed of the Division of International Education Programs, the International Center for Arid and Semiarid Land Studies (ICASALS), the Division of Public Education, the International Cultural Center, and several support units. OIA facilitates programs that bring an international dimension to the University's roles in teaching, research, and public service. OIA works with and assists the various units of the University, coordinating international activities at Texas Tech.

The international education division provides information, counseling, and advisement to international students on all noncurricular issues including immigration regulations, financial issues, personal concerns, and general American academic questions. The office also coordinates cross-cultural programming and other extracurricular activities with campus- and community-based organizations to facilitate development of cross-cultural understanding. OIA offers customized services to sponsoring agencies and students. Services to sponsoring agencies include monitoring of placement, customized billing procedures, timely reports, special program design, and maintenance of communications. Special counseling and advising, orientation, and administrative services are provided to sponsored students. An administrative fee of at least $250 per semester and $125 per summer term attended is charged for sponsored students. See also the Overseas Resource Center section, which follows. The public education division, funded through the University by an external support group, provides an outreach program of an international dimension for students K-12 in West Texas. ICASALS provides special research and development projects for faculty, staff, and students (see the ICASALS entry for additional information). The International Cultural Center houses all units of the Office of International Affairs; a library featuring specialized publications, videotapes, and CD-ROMs; the CNN World Report Television Archive; and the area studies programs of the University. It offers attractive facilities for all types of meetings, conferences, and special events and represents the University's commitment to internationalization.

Overseas Resource Center. A period of time spent studying abroad is one of the most effective means of increasing one's understanding of other peoples and cultures, improving one's ability to speak other languages, studying the problems and approaches to problems that are specific to other areas of the world, and gaining a new understanding of one's own society and culture. In today's globalization, experience abroad is becoming essential if one is to be competitive in the job market. The foreign language departments of the University regularly sponsor overseas summer programs for their students; many other departments offer overseas programs as well.

The Overseas Resource Center, a unit of the Office of International Affairs, is housed in the International Cultural Center and coordinates reciprocal student exchanges with universities in England, France, Germany, Mexico, Spain, and Turkey. In addition, the center is the Texas Tech coordinating office for the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP). These types of exchanges allow qualified Texas Tech students to exchange places with students from other countries for a year or a semester and to receive credit for their academic work. The cost of these exchanges is usually much less than that of many other education abroad programs.

Graduating seniors and graduate students may obtain information and applications for Fulbright Grants and Rhodes Scholarships in the Overseas Resource Center. Applications for these awards must be submitted in October for the following academic year. The center also maintains reference books that provide information on other scholarships and grants for study and research abroad.

In addition to coordinating programs, the center maintains a reference library of catalogs and announcements of overseas educational programs. These programs include those offered by Texas Tech University departments as well as those sponsored by other institutions. The staff of the center helps students clarify their objectives for overseas study and assists them in identifying educationally sound programs. Students may also receive guidance in applying for their chosen programs. Students who wish to study overseas are advised to begin planning at least a year in advance of their departure date.

Archive of Turkish Oral Narrative. The archive is a research facility devoted to the study of Turkish folktales and related narrative forms: folk history, legends, folk minstrelsy, and myths. Its extensive holdingsin Turkish on magnetic tape, in English in bound typescript volumesand its support services for researchers are unique. Books, articles, papers, and recorded programs produced from archive materials flow from scholars in this country and abroad.

Located on the third floor of the Texas Tech University Library, the archive makes available a conference room, audio-visual equipment, and comfortable work space for the use of students, faculty, and the general public. It is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and at other times by special arrangement. Queries for information and requests for materials may be written or telephoned to the curator.

Academic Common Market Program. Texas Tech participates with 12 other southern states in the Academic Common Market, a reciprocal agreement for sharing uncommon curricula. Students from these states who are admitted into approved out-of-state programs qualify for resident tuition. Two steps are necessary to qualify: (1) applicants must be accepted into a program for which an interstate agreement has been arranged and (2) applicants must submit proof of legal residency in a member state to the university where he or she has been accepted (such documentation is provided by the ACM coordinator in the student's home state; a list of state coordinators is available from the Southern Regional Education Board, 1340 Spring Street, N.W., Atlanta, Georgia 30309).

Graduate programs at Texas Tech University and the member states from which qualified students may gain resident tuition are:

Master of Architecture (Alabama, Kentucky)

Master of Science, Doctor of Philosophy--Range Science (Arkansas, Louisiana)

Doctor of Philosophy--Fine Arts (Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Virginia)

Doctor of Philosophy--Home Economics Education (Kentucky)

Doctor of Philosophy--Land-Use Planning, Management, and Design (Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Virginia)

Doctor of Philosophy--Marriage and Family Therapy (Kentucky)

Doctor of Philosophy--Technical Communication and Rhetoric (Tennessee)

Further information about the ACM program in Texas may be obtained from the Program Development Division of Senior Colleges and Universities, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, Box 12788, Capitol Station, Texas 78711.

Financial Assistance.

University Assistantships

(Available in most departments)

Teaching Assistantships

Research Assistantships

Federal Traineeships and Research Assistantships

Center for Public Service (Public Service Fellowships)

Special Fellowships

Available in a number of departments

University Counseling Center Positions

Counseling Assistantships

Reading Instructorships

Residence Hall Positions

Head Residentships

Resident Assistantships

Other Assistance

Texas Public Education Grant awards

Stafford, Perkins, and other loans

Inquiries concerning assistantships, traineeships, and fellowships (which frequently are subject to annual renewal by granting agencies) should be addressed to the chairperson of the department concerned. For information about residence hall positions, contact the University Housing Office. Information on other financial assistance is available from the Director of Student Financial Aid and from the Graduate School.

Military Service Programs. Although they do not offer graduate courses or degrees, Texas Tech's Departments of Aerospace Studies and Military Science offer commissioning programs for which graduate students may qualify if their graduate studies will extend for at least four full semesters not including summer school. Students who have successfully completed the ROTC Basic Course or who qualify through prior service may enter directly into the Advanced Program. Others may qualify by attending a six-week summer camp. Financial assistance is available. For further information, inquire directly of the appropriate department.


Return to Main Directory
Page Maintained by: Cheryl Hedlund

Page Administrator: Gale Richardson

LAST UPDATE: 11-20-98