The beginning of a new school year can be an exciting time for students, but it also can be stressful. Between move-in days, starting new classes and finding new ways to get involved on campus, students can accumulate more questions about life as a Blazer than they had when they started.
Click through the slideshow below to learn how to be ready to help students answer questions about financial assistance, mental health resources and their future careers by learning how UAB can help.
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1. One Stop Student Services
One Stop Student Services on the first floor of the Hill Student Center is a student’s best starting point for almost anything, from ONE Card issues to questions about financial aid or scholarships.
Send a student to One Stop if they want to change their address or phone number in person with UAB, check on the status of their financial aid, find out more about work-study programs, learn about credit equivalencies, get an official academic transcript, change their major or learn about on- and off-campus housing options, among many other things. A list is online. -
2. Student Counseling Services
If a student is struggling to adjust to the collegiate lifestyle or dealing with interpersonal or family issues, Student Counseling Services (SCS), located in the Learning Resource Center building, can offer support.
SCS provides individual and group mental health services, prevention and outreach programming, crisis and emergency support and consultation services such as eating disorder treatment and gender transition services and advocates for safe and inclusive learning environments in the university community. See a full list of services online. -
3. Career and Professional Development
College is a time for figuring out the future — and if students have questions about which direction they should take, UAB Student Affairs Career and Professional Development office, also located in the Hill Student Center, can help guide them to an answer.
The office hosts job fairs and maintains HireABlazer, which connects UAB students with part- and full-time jobs, internships and cooperative learning opportunities on campus. Students can also make appointments with a career advisor for personalized advice. Learn more online. -
4. Vulcan Materials Academic Success Center
Know a student who needs a boost in a particular class? The Vulcan Materials Academic Success Center (VMASC) is a supportive environment for students that provides tutoring, supplemental instruction, academic advising, success advising, workshops and study hours.
VMASC is located in the Education Building directly across the street from the Mervyn Sterne Library Starbucks. Make an appointment online for advising or tutoring online. -
5. Specialized services
From its international students to its off-campus residents, UAB prioritizes all of its students and offers a variety of specialized resources for different student groups.
- Disability Support Services, located in the Hill Student Center, works with students with disabilities in order to provide reasonable accommodations and ensure an accessible campus experience.
- International Student Services, located on the second floor of Mervyn Sterne Library, advises international students and assists visiting international faculty and scholars on immigration, federal and state taxation and orientation to the UAB and Birmingham communities.
- Off-Campus Student Services, whose Off-Campus Student Lounge is located in Suite 140 in the Hill Student Center, can help students learn about off-campus housing options and answer questions about finding roommates, lease intricacies and more.
- Veterans Services assists veterans, service members, dependents and survivors in capitalizing on military educational benefits, such as finding scholarships, and promotes a successful transition into an academic setting.
- The UAB Commission on the Status of Women advocates for gender inclusion and equity by supporting and improving opportunities for women on campus, from students to employees. Representatives from across campus are always available to listen to thoughts, concerns and ideas.
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6. Safety resources
With a police force boasting 100-plus accredited officers, a fleet of marked and unmarked patrols monitoring campus and roughly 3,700 video cameras in campus buildings, parking decks and outdoor areas, UAB has invested in keeping its students safe. The campus remains among the lowest in incidents of sex-related offences, robbery, aggravated assault and burglary when compared to urban and non-urban universities in Alabama with more than 16,000 students — and regional peers such as Emory and Vanderbilt universities.
UAB also offers personalized options, such as smartphone apps and self-defense courses, to help students play an active role in their own personal safety.
- The campus safety app, Rave Guardian, enables users to request a virtual safety escort on their smartphone from a friend or family member who has also downloaded Rave Guardian — or from UAB Police.
- If a student plans to grab a late coffee, cocktail or dessert at one of the Southside’s restaurants or bars, they should add 205-934-8772 — the UAB Blazer Express Safety Escort Service number — to their contacts list. Safety Escort runs on-demand 9 p.m.-5:30 a.m. every day, extending to Railroad Park to the north, Eighth Street to the West, 22nd Street to the east and 14th Avenue to the south. During the day, students can catch a regular Blazer Express route around campus.
- Students should familiarize themselves with the Help Phones located on their daily routes; they are a direct link to the UAB Police Department and are monitored 24 hours a day. Help Phones can be found in building hallways, elevators, parking lots, parking decks, between buildings and in other remote areas.
UAB is committed to fostering a safe and inclusive environment for all Blazers. From mobile apps to bus escort services to B-Alerts and more, make sure you’re up to date on all the ways to stay safer on campus.
