Get the most out of your tuition: campus services

By Erin Miller | gargoyle@flagler.edu

Around campus, there are free services available for students that, according to many campus employees, aren’t getting used.

Flagler College Administrative assistant, Marsha LeDuke, would like for more students to take advantage of the counseling center’s free services.

Associate Dean of Counseling Mary Tinlin and psychologist Glen Goldberg offer counseling sessions at no cost. Recently, they started testing for Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder, anxiety and depression. Last month, they began offering biofeedback, a way for students to learn how to de-stress with a machine that helps train the muscles to relax.

The counseling center keeps all files private and separate from the administration’s files.

“President [William T.] Abare [, Jr.] is extremely supportive of the confidentiality boundaries,” LeDuke said. “The only exception is if there’s a life-threatening situation. The student would have to sign a release for any information to be released and who it may be released to.”

The counseling center is ramping up social media efforts too by posting updates daily on Twitter and making self-made movies about various topics such as break-up reactions and test anxiety.

Career services and academic advising coordinator Tara Stevenson wants to emphasize that the free services that the career center provides are helpful to all students.

The career center is located on the second floor of the Ringhaver Student Center and is a resource to students for resume reviews, job search assistance, interviewing techniques and law and graduate school fairs.

Stevenson said that, even though mostly juniors and seniors make appointments for their required meetings, a lot more sophomores have recently been coming because of the job market and difficulty finding internships.

“Last year we began a career planning series with student services,” Stevenson said. “We’re trying to get involved in more classes so it will help students with their specific area of study.”

Another on-campus service provided to the student body is the security office. Director of Security Kerry Davis said that security offers a shuttle service every day from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. driving students to and from their dorms and the parking garage. There is also a St. Augustine police officer on campus during these hours.

“Student safety is always our first priority,” Davis said.

Security guards patrol the campus at all times and approximately eight officers are on duty at once. The security office also provides bicycle registration, a lost and found service and an unlock service.