STUDENT/ HOUSESTAFF OMBUDSPERSONS

What is a student/housestaff ombudsperson at UMDNJ?

Under the University's policy (Student/Housestaff Ombudspersons Policy), each Dean has appointed an ombudsperson as a designated, confidential resource for students and housestaff ("visitors") seeking information or solutions to problems. The unique nature of the ombudsperson is one of neutrality, impartiality and independence from the School's and University's established administrative structures. Thus, the ombudsperson is not a student/house officer advocate and does not represent the student's or house officer's interests. The ombudsperson is also not an agent of the institution, is not responsible for academic or disciplinary decisions concerning students or housestaff, and is independent of all administrators who are, such as deans or program directors. Instead, the ombudsperson aims for fairness, and impartially considers the interests of all parties. The ombudsperson does not make decisions, render judgments or administer sanctions. Instead, she or he identifies options, provides information, refers visitors to other resources if appropriate, facilitates communication between people, may mediate disputes or negotiate resolutions between parties, and recommends changes in policy or procedure to School/University administrators.

The assistance of an ombudsperson is informal and non-adversarial, separate from existing formal grievance and complaint procedures. Bringing complaints or problems to the ombudsperson does not constitute placing the University on formal notice. Visitors can always invoke the formal procedures. Sometimes the ombudsperson herself or himself may recommend this course of action and refer the visitor to the appropriate office. In any case, the ombudsperson will not participate in a formal process.

Each UMDNJ School has also identified another individual as a research ombudsperson whose focus is on research disputes and problems. This person is available to assist faculty and staff as well as students and housestaff on issues related to research.

Confidentiality:

The ombudsperson strives to maintain confidentiality and respect privacy to the maximum extent permitted by law. The ombudsperson will not keep records with any personally identifiable information, and usually will not share any information received from visitors without the visitors' permission. However there are legal and ethical standards which may require the ombudsperson to disclose certain kinds of information, such as statutory violations, imminent threats of serious harm to an individual (the visitor or others), or to the University and its property, or about serious misconduct, harassment or the commission of a crime. The ombudsperson must also comply with court orders and valid subpoenas.

Relationship with the Dean, School/University administrators, faculty, other students/housestaff:
The ombudsperson maintains a great degree of independence within the School and University hierarchy. The ombudsperson is answerable only to the Dean, annually summarizing for the Dean the office's activities without revealing any personal or confidential information about cases. The ombudsperson also makes recommendations to the Dean for specific and systemic changes and improvements in School policy, procedure, environment, etc., based upon the pattern of problems and complaints brought forward by visitors. The ombudsperson has the full support of the University's Office of Academic Affairs, Office of AA/EEO and Office of Legal Management. The ombudsperson, in addition, is authorized to approach any individual - administrator, faculty member, other student or house officer - in pursuit of information, resolutions to problems or complaints, or to make recommendations.

LIBRARY

The UMDNJ Health Sciences Library at Stratford is located on the ground floor of the UMDNJ-SOM Academic Center, The Library houses over 30,000 volumes, including more than 9,000 books and subscriptions to 570 journals in the health sciences. It has a seating capacity of 120, which includes twenty-three (23) study carrels. The Microcomputer Lab consists of a combination of PCs, Macs, and numerous software programs ranging from patient simulations to general applications software.

The collection comprises books, journals, media and software in the basic and clinical sciences. The collection supports curricular, research and patient care needs of the students, faculty and staff. Items in the collection may be identified and located using the Library's on-line catalog, which includes the on-line catalog of books, media and journals as well as access to mini-Medline, a subset of the full Medline database.

A printed list of journals held at the Stratford Library is available at strategic locations in the Library. This list includes all back runs as well as current subscription titles.

The Reserve Collection is located behind the Circulation Desk. All books, reprints, and media required or recommended by faculty for their students are available in the Reserve collection.

Items in the Reserve Collection may be borrowed for use in the Library. You must present your bar-coded ID badge when requesting materials. Your badge will be held until the borrowed material has been returned. The loan period for Reserve items is two hours with the option to renew for an additional two hours if the item has not been requested by another patron. Users may borrow a maximum of two items at a time.

Four small group study rooms are equipped with VCRs, overhead and slide projectors for use by groups. Rooms may be reserved at the Circulation Desk for two-hour periods on a first-come, first-served basis. Several carrels in the Library, as well as a number of workstations in the Microcomputer Lab, are dedicated to the use of videocassette and slide/tape formats.

Three self-service photocopy machines are available for use in the Library's copy room. Copiers are operated by reusable plastic copy cards; one copier can also be coin-operated, at $.15 per page. Copy cards are available from a card vending machine in the copy room.
A non-valued card must first be purchased for $1.00; it may then be valued in the following denominations: 10 copies for $1.00, 55 copies for $5.00, 125 copies for $10.00, and 300 copies for $20.00. Cards may be revalued in either the vending machine or the coin-operated photocopier.

Thirty (30) IBM and Macintosh microcomputers are located in the Library. The computers are available for use during regular library hours. Most microcomputers provide either laser or ink-jet printing. Over 200 computer software programs including tutorial and general application programs are currently available for use by library patrons. Short-term assistance with hardware and software is available on an as-needed basis in the Microcomputer Lab. Appointments must be scheduled for lengthy consultation and work on special projects.

A large number of journals and databases are available on line through the library’s homepage; including Ovid, Medline, PubMed. The Stratford library’s web address is:
http://www.umdnj.edu/librweb/stratlib/index.html

Library Hours

Monday - Thursday: 8:00 am to 11:00 p.m.
Friday: 8:00 am to 6:00 p.m.
Saturday: 9:00 am to 5:00 p.m.
Sunday: 1:00 pm to 8:00 p.m.

STUDENT HEALTH SERVICES

Student Health Services are provided in Suite 2100 of the University Doctors’ Pavilion, Department of Family Medicine. The Center is open on the following schedule:

Monday 8:45 am to 9:00 pm
Tuesday 8:45 am to 9:00 pm
Wednesday 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Thursday 8:45 am to 9:00 pm
Friday 8:45 am to 4:00 pm
Saturday 9:00 am to 12:00 pm

Students are able to reach a physician at other times by calling (856) 566-7020.

Students are provided with advisory and screening services and a degree of outpatient care and preventive medicine. In the event of more serious illness, the service offers assistance in obtaining referral, consultation, hospitalization, or emergency treatment. The service is limited to students. It is not available to their spouses or other dependents. There is a mandatory annual fee for this service.

UNIVERSITY BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES (Mental Health)

The Student Wellness Program (SWP) is a confidential counseling service which helps students deal effectively with stressors and pressures related to school, as well as personal problems that may affect their well-being, their home lives and/or their academic performance. Services are provided by the University Behavioral HealthCare staff. Hence, they are independent of your school. Student Wellness services are available to all students enrolled in programs at participating schools on the Piscataway, Stratford/Camden and Newark campuses. There is no fee for using the SWP. Your school pays for the sessions with your SWP counselor. If you are referred for assistance to another professional or program in the community, fees for that service will be your responsibility.

Day and evening appointments are available Monday through Friday; crisis services are available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. For an appointment in Piscataway, call (732) 235-5933l for Stratford/Camden, call (856) 770-5750; for Newark, call (973) 972-5429. Please identify yourself as a student when requesting an appointment. For crises after normal business hours, call 1-800-327-3678.

WELLNESS CENTER (Physical Health)

The Wellness Center is located on the second floor of the Academic Center. It offers aerobic classes, free-weights, and a variety of Cybex and cardiovascular equipment. The annual fee is expected to be $150 plus a $50 initiation and processing fee. Call 6-6746 for further information.

Hours of operation are:
Monday 6:30 am – 9:00 pm
Tuesday 6:30 am – 8:00 pm
Wednesday 6:30 am – 9:00 pm
Thursday 6:30 am – 8:00 pm
Friday 6:30 am – 8:00 pm
Saturday 7:00 am – 2:00 pm
Sunday 7:00 am – 2:00 pm

UNIVERSITY WEB SITE

The UMDNJ Web Site (http://www.umdnj.edu) is the University's electronic Campus Wide Information System, and is available to all students, faculty and staff. All students should have an account on the Academic Computing Services network and should check their e-mail regularly. The UMDNJ and GSBS web sites contain information about policies, procedures, curriculum, courses, seminars, housing, fellowships, announcements, and updates to the Student Handbook.

COMPUTER SERVICES

Academic Computing at SOM provides investigators and students with off-the-shelf applications as well as powerful development tools for biomedical research applications and publication graphics, statistics, general mathematics and text formatting. The Center has MacIntosh and Windows/DOS based workstations with campus host access. It offers instruction and a variety of software applications.

The Center is linked to similar centers at other units of UMDNJ through a sophisticated high-speed network providing a variety of resource-sharing services. This network is in turn connected to the Internet, allowing investigators at UMDNJ to exchange information with users on computers throughout the world.

All students enrolled in degree programs at GSBS are considered members in the Graduate Student Association. The group's objectives are to cultivate interest in the biomedical sciences and to encourage mutual assistance, social involvement, and other activities vital to a wholesome environment for graduate studies.

Housing

Although the school does not have dormitory facilities for its students, housing is available in surrounding areas. Off campus housing costs average $450.00 to $650.00 per month depending upon location and apartment size. Students seeking assistance in locating suitable housing should contact the Graduate School Office. Campus parking facilities are available at nominal cost.

All GSBS students have mailboxes and they are located on the 1st floor of the Science Center in the hallway across from the courtyard entrance.