Student Life and Services
Disability Services
The university is committed to promoting and maintaining an accessible and inclusive environment for students with disabilities. We strive to eliminate academic barriers and to provide equal access in a manner that does not compromise essential elements of the university and its academic programs. The Office of Disability Services is the university office designated to determine reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. We work to ensure programs, services and the overall campus are accessible in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the ADA Amendment Act.
Students with disabilities may request disability-related accommodations in classes, housing and other university programs from the Office of Disability Services (located in Rudisill Library Room 202). It is the responsibility of the student with a disability to disclose the disability and to request accommodations and to provide appropriate documentation of the impairment to the director of disability services in a timely manner. After a request for an accommodation has been made, the documentation and the request will be carefully reviewed. If there is insufficient information within the student’s documentation to support the request, the director may request additional documentation. All decisions regarding disability-related accommodations are made through an interactive process and determined on a case-by-case basis after taking into consideration the type and severity of the individual’s disability and the impact of the accommodation on the institution’s policies and programs.
All disability-related documentation must be from a qualified professional, clearly state a diagnosis and illustrate the current functional limitations of the disabling condition and how the limitation will affect the individual in an educational setting. Complete documentation guidelines are available on the Office of Disability Services website at https://www.lr.edu/student-life/health-wellness/disability-services
Disability-related documentation is maintained in a confidential manner within the Office of Disability Services. If specific information about a student’s disability needs to be revealed to coordinate a service or accommodation, the director will obtain the student’s permission prior to divulging any confidential information.
Depending on the nature and type of disability, examples of accommodations include but are not limited to:
• Extended testing time
• Separate testing area
• Note takers/notetaking software for classes
• Assistance in obtaining textbooks in alternate formats
• Accessible housing
• Accessible classrooms
For students with physical disabilities who wish to reside on campus, there are accessible residence hall rooms available. For more information about disability related housing accommodations, please contact the director of disability services at 828-328-7296 or the director of residence life at 828-328-7249.
While Lenoir-Rhyne will make reasonable accommodations in policies, procedures and programs for students with disabilities, the university does not provide personal assistance services (such as personal attendants), personal devices (such as wheelchairs or shower stools) or prescriptive devices (such as eyeglasses or hearing aids). Furthermore, class attendance is not determined by the Office of Disability Services. The course instructor determines the attendance policy for each course, and it is listed in the course syllabus. If the documented disability impacts attendance, a request for accommodation should be discussed with the director of disability services to determine a reasonable accommodation.
To establish services or for more information about accommodations at Lenoir-Rhyne, contact the Office of Disability Services, Rudisill Library Room 202 or call 828-328-7296 or email the director at Sherry.Proctor@lr.edu.
Grievance Policy and Procedures
Lenoir-Rhyne University takes seriously the concerns and grievances of its students. Lenoir-Rhyne will provide a prompt response to all written complaints, including those complaints alleging discrimination or harassment based on race, age, religion, physical or emotional disability or sex (which includes gender discrimination, sexual orientation, sexual harassment and sexual violence). Lenoir-Rhyne will work to resolve grievances as quickly as possible through the appropriate means whether that be through informal resolution or through our Student Conduct Council, Committee on Equity, or through the Title IX Office; however, the time period for resolution will depend largely on the nature of the grievance and the response required. It is the goal of Lenoir-Rhyne that written grievances will be resolved within a period not to exceed 60 days; however, the time period for resolving grievances will depend largely on the facts and circumstances at issue and may be expanded where necessary and appropriate to reach a resolution.
For more information on academic integrity policies and procedures, please refer to The Lenoir-Rhyne University Student Handbook online at http://www.lr.edu/student-life/student-handbook and in this catalog in the Academic Regulations section. All such matters will be handled in accordance with those policies and procedures.
Health Services
The Student Health Center located in the Cornerstone House on the Hickory campus provides services to help undergraduate students reach optimum wellness. This is done through two modes:
- Wellness Management focuses on healthy lifestyle choices, and
- Illness and Injury Management focuses on acute illnesses and injury.
A physician assistant (PA) is available Monday through Friday for consultation to promote healthy lifestyle choices and evaluation of illnesses or injury. Services through the Student Health Center are available to all undergraduate students.
NOTE: Students are financially responsible for medical treatments that are received off campus. Lenoir-Rhyne has many healthcare treatment partners in the community. The physician assistant at the Student Health Center will make referrals to off-campus healthcare services as needed.
All students who plan to use the student health center are required to have a medical health record on file at the center. Failure to comply may void use of services.
The Student Health Center is open during posted hours only (https://www.lr.edu/student-life/cornerstone). The Student Health Center is closed on weekends, school breaks, holidays and summer break.
In addition to the Student Health Center, Lenoir-Rhyne has partnered with TimelyCare to provide telehealth and tele-therapy options for all students. These services are available to all students 24/7. Lenoir-Rhyne students may enroll at anytime at https://timelycare.com/lr.
Immunizations
All Lenoir-Rhyne University students must adhere to immunization laws which apply to their respective campuses. Specifically for the Hickory campus, all undergraduate and graduate residential students, full-time commuter day students and part-time commuter day students taking more than 4 credit hours must have the required immunizations on file at the Lenoir-Rhyne Student Health Service. Records must be on file before registration takes place, or according to NC Law (G.S. 130A-155.1), you will be withdrawn from classes without credit. Registration for classes will be delayed if immunization records are not current.
Required immunizations are listed on the Lenoir-Rhyne Student Health Record, which is available online at http://www.lr.edu/student-life/cornerstone in the Student Health Center. Additional vaccines or titers may be required by particular health-related majors. Please consult the specific academic programs or the athletics programs for their requirements.
Acceptable record of your immunizations may be requested and obtained from a variety of sources, including: some high school transcripts; family physician; personal immunization records; military records or World Health Organization documents; or previous college or university. Immunization records do not automatically transfer from previous educational institutions and must be requested by the student. All immunization records must include dates of vaccine administration, be in black ink and include clinician signature or clinic stamp. Records will be questioned if dates do not meet NC Law (G.S. 130A-155.1) or FDA License Approval.
Questions regarding immunization requirements may be directed to the Director of Student Health Services at 828-328-7959.
Personal Counseling
While students are in college, they are continuing the developmental process of moving from adolescence into young adulthood. This can be a challenging and constantly changing time for a student, and as a result the counseling services strive to provide quality mental health treatment and support to students in times of need. All full and part time undergraduate students enrolled in the university are eligible for counseling services. The university offers several options for undergraduate students.
Undergraduate students have access to in-person counseling through Lenoir-Rhyne Counseling Services. The focus is on short-term, solution-based therapy. Students can receive up to ten sessions per academic year. Another in-person option is available through The Counseling Group, a Hickory-based counseling agency within walking distance of the Hickory campus. Students receive ten free sessions per academic year.
Lenoir-Rhyne counseling services and The Counseling Group also offer telehealth services. An additional telehealth service is available through TimelyCare. Using your Lenoir-Rhyne email address, you may set up an account by visiting https://timelycare.com/lr. Through this platform, students have unlimited access to the Talk Now function, which is built around 20-30 minute conversations, which provide coping mechanisms for immediate issue. Students can also seek counseling and receive up to 12 free sessions.
Enrolled graduate students on all campuses have access to the services provided through TimelyCare and The Counseling Group. For more information about any of these services, please call 828-328-7373. Services provided may include individual, couples and group counseling.
Students may choose to request a referral to a local provider at the student’s expense. Resource information regarding services provided in the community are also available through counseling services, as well as referrals to area psychiatrists and specialized mental health providers.
Counselors, as well as other appropriate staff or community resources, assist students in times of crisis or other emotional difficulties. If you are in need of an appointment, contact the office during regular office hours at (828) 328-7959. If you are in crisis, contact Catawba County Mental Health’s Mobile Crisis Unit at (877)327-2593, Smokey Mountain Center in Asheville at (800) 849-6127, or United Way 211 in Columbia at (866) 892-9211.
All counseling services are confidential. State laws and professional ethical codes dictate that the information discussed during the counseling session will be strictly confidential if you are 18 years of age or older. The counseling records are not kept as part of your academic or administrative records. Furthermore, the fact that you have used our services and the information that you share in counseling will not be disclosed to university officials, faculty, staff, parents, outside agencies or anyone else without your written permission.
Lohr Learning Commons
The Lohr Learning Commons, on the Hickory campus, includes a variety of academic services, offices and resources that help students reach their educational and academic goals. Conveniently located on the second floor of the Carl A. Rudisill Library, the learning space includes an open collaborative study area; individual study nooks; computer labs; group tutoring spaces as well as academic coaching and tutoring services; Writing Center; Math and Computing Science Lab; Speech Preparation Lab; Advising Center; Disability Services; and BEAR Central. http://www.lr.edu/student-life/lohr-learning-commons
Writing Center
The Writing Center in Hickory fosters the development of writing and critical thinking by providing trained, supportive readers and listeners for students’ ideas. Peer or faculty consultants work one-on-one with student writers on a wide range of areas, such as helping them understand a written assignment, develop and organize their ideas, revise for wordiness or appropriate voice or style, improve their ability to edit or address a professor’s written feedback.
The Writing Center is located on the second floor of the Rudisill Library in Hickory in the Lohr Learning Commons for those in the Hickory area. Other students may request a virtual session by contacting DR. Kathy Ivey at Kathy.ivey@lr.edu. More information and an updated schedule are available on the center’s web page: http://www.lr.edu/student-life/lohr-learning-commons
Intercollegiate Athletics
Lenoir-Rhyne University has a strong, broadly based intercollegiate athletic program. Lenoir-Rhyne teams are members of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the South Atlantic Conference (SAC).
The university fields intercollegiate teams in football, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, softball, baseball, men’s and women’s track and field, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s swimming, women’s triathlon, and men’s and women’s golf. Additionally, Lenoir-Rhyne offers club level sports in spirit/dance, men’s and women’s triathlon, and men’s and women’s weightlifting. Scholarship aid for deserving student-athletes is available in all sports.
Libraries
Lenoir-Rhyne University library services all three campuses. The Carl A. Rudisill Library on the Hickory Campus and the Lineberger Memorial Library on the Columbia Campus provide a wealth of information resources and services to support student learning and development. The libraries provide spaces for quiet study, relaxed group collaboration, formal classroom instruction, accommodated testing and focused research. Wireless network access is available throughout the buildings. Librarians work with students and faculty to assist in the development of information seeking and management skills that support academic success and lifelong learning. For more information, including hours of operation, please visit the library services web page: https://www.lr.edu/library
Multicultural Affairs
The Office of Multicultural Affairs at Lenoir-Rhyne University aspires to create a diverse community that welcomes people of different races, cultures, ages, genders, sexual orientations, religions, socioeconomic levels, political perspectives, abilities, opinions, values and experiences. Lenoir-Rhyne will strive to reflect these differences in its decisions, curriculum, programs and actions. We will also strive to create an environment that brings out the best in all people that leads to positive contributions to the Lenoir-Rhyne community. The university will seek to ensure that underrepresented groups have equal access to the education and resource opportunities available at the university. Policy and procedures will create and sustain an inclusive and productive environment for faculty, staff and students.
Judicial System
Policies and regulations have been established at Lenoir-Rhyne University to support and encourage its educational mission. As elsewhere in society, these policies and regulations are founded on the mutually accepted concepts of freedom and responsibility and are based on the assumption that members of the Lenoir-Rhyne community are interdependent. It is each student’s duty to protect the rights of other students, to fulfill their educational objectives and to maintain high standards of personal conduct. However, when a student’s conduct does not meet these standards, the university employs the judicial system to redirect the behavior into acceptable patterns. The judicial system seeks to protect the rights of the student while maintaining conduct that is acceptable for an academic community. Please see The Lenoir-Rhyne University Student Handbook for more specifics at http://www.lr.edu/studentlife/student-handbook
Worship Services and Devotional Life
Given Lenoir-Rhyne’s connection with the ELCA and because of the importance of supporting the spiritual development of students, Lenoir-Rhyne offers weekly worship services on the Hickory and Columbia campuses.
On the Hickory campus, chapel is held at 10 a.m. every Wednesday in Grace Chapel. A brief service of Holy Communion is held each Monday at 10:10 A.m. A Bible study led by the university pastor is offered Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. Additional devotional, faith-sharing and Bible study opportunities are offered by religious organizations and the university’s pastor’s office.
A Muslim prayer room is available in the International House.
The Meditation Chapel in the Cromer Center lobby is open for personal prayer and meditation during regular Cromer Center hours. Additionally, the university pastor’s office provides information regarding worship opportunities in Hickory area congregations.
The Columbia campus and LTSS have Chapel services that are held daily when the seminary is in session. Specifically, daily worship begins at 11:30 AM (Eucharist on Wednesdays), and 7:00 PM evening Eucharists are scheduled periodically during the year. Please see the chapel calendar for more information.
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