Student Life

Graceland's student life program joins the academic sector in an effort to educate the whole person. As a partner in the educational enterprise, student life enhances and supports the academic mission. In addition, Graceland’s student life program encourages personal development. A unique housing system offered through Residence Life partners with student government to provide broad based student participation. Numerous clubs and organizations provide students opportunities for involvement that enhance learning and contribute to building a supportive community. The Graceland community helps students learn to work together, make and keep friends, care about the welfare of others, balance freedom and responsibility, and appreciate human differences.

Residence Life
Campus Ministries
Graceland Student Government
The Career, Academic, and Personal Counseling (CAP) Center
Student Publications
Music Groups
Recreational Facilities
Frederick Madison Smith Library
The Dr. Charles F. Grabske, Sr. Library and Learning Resource Center - Independence Campus
The Center for the Study of the Korean War - Independence Campus
Creative Media Center
Information Technology Services
Instructional Technology Services
Testing Program
Student Health
Student Handbook
Student Persistence
Cumulative Summary of Enrollment
Cumulative Geographical Distribution of Undergraduate Students

The university believes that a significant portion of a student’s learning experience can be achieved through association with other students in residence hall living. On the Lamoni campus, residence hall living is required of all full-time freshman and sophomore students. Exceptions to this policy are students living with their parents or legal guardians, married students, and students 21 years of age and over. All incoming transfer international students who are awarded intercultural grants will be required to live on campus one academic year before being eligible to reside off campus. Students living off campus are responsible for their own arrangements.

All seven single-gender residence halls are located near the Floyd M. McDowell Commons. Nine apartments are available for married students. All residence hall students are required to sign a housing contract with the university before occupying the room. Signed housing contracts are valid for the academic year unless cancelled under the terms of the contract. University-owned residence halls are closed during the official breaks of the university.

The basic unit of student life is known as a “house”. The house system is a unique program of the university based on the principle of inclusion that recognizes the importance of each student attending the university and celebrates the individuality of each person. All full-time students (whether living on or off campus) are assigned to a house upon acceptance to the university. Members of the house elect five students to hold key leadership positions. Under their direction, social, religious, and academic support activities are planned for the house members.

Housing requests can be completed online after acceptance to the university. Roommate requests are considered when the request is received from both parties and space is available.

Residence hall students are required to purchase a full board plan in the Floyd McDowell Commons. Flex Points are available to students who reside off campus.

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The Campus Ministries team at Graceland believes that each and every person is on a spiritual journey with God. No two of us is in exactly the same place on that journey, nor have we come to this community by an identical route. Still, we believe the divine Presence is aware of each one of us and travels with us each step of the way. At Graceland, there is amazing joy to be found in sharing that journey with people from many lands and a wide variety of faith traditions or experience.

Graceland’s sponsoring church is the Community of Christ, and many students come from that faith tradition. While the majority of students on Campus are of Christian background representing a wide variety of denominations, our community also includes Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, and others. All are important and valued members of our on-campus family of faith.

Campus Ministries offers a variety of religious experience on campus to support students and others on their spiritual quest. For students who wish to attend worship off campus in their own tradition, assistance is provided to locate a house of worship that will be familiar and meet their needs. Several styles of Christian worship are provided on-campus each week at various times to meet the needs of students, faculty and staff.

The Campus Ministers’ offices are located in the Memorial Student Center (MSC) and are virtually always open to students who wish to chat. In addition, each residence house has a chaplain whose job it is to be available to students who need further or immediate peer support.

The success of Campus Ministries is directly dependent on the involvement of the many students who seek to develop and express their faith through a wide variety of leadership roles and ministry activities. Fellowship, Peace and Justice, Worship, and Small Group Ministry are just a few of the areas in which students can choose to be involved. We believe that the gifts of each person are important and want to find opportunities for those to be expressed in Campus Ministries activities. If you are interested in being involved or knowing more, please contact the Campus Ministers or your House Chaplain at your earliest convenience.

Community of Christ Church Leadership Program
The Community of Christ Leadership Program (CCLP) is a cooperative effort between Graceland University and the Community of Christ . It is designed to create an intentional track for persons desiring to pursue their giftedness in ministry and church leadership. Please go to the CCLP website for more information.

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All students enrolled at Graceland are members of the Graceland Student Government (GSG). Student government is involved in all campus areas which affect students. The GSG is organized to express their views on issues of institutional policy and on matters of general interest to the student body. The branches of student government and their corresponding bodies include:

• Executive — composed of Graceland Student Government President, Executive Advisory Committee (EAC), and Council of House Presidents (CHP)
• Legislative — Student Senate
• Academic — Student Academic Council (SAC)
• Social — Campus Organization for Social Activities (COSA) and Intramural Athletics (IM)
• Judicial — Council on Student Welfare (CSW)

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The CAP Center is located in the north wing of Patroness Hall. Its purpose is to help students understand themselves and realize their career, academic and personal goals by integrating three services:

CAREER PLANNING — Career Development Specialists guide students through the process of self-assessment, choosing a major, exploring possible career fields, and then the job search process. They help students locate resources for securing internships and summer jobs. A career resource library and a computerized career guidance program are available at the CAP Center. Students may enroll in a career exploration experience during the winter term. Career planning courses are offered each semester as well as resumé and interviewing workshops for job seekers. Graceland has their own resume and job posting site to aid students in the job search.

ACADEMIC ADVISING — Academic Advising Specialists help all new students with the academic planning process as well as to explore life and career goals. Advisers share information about campus resources, educational options including choice of major, and academic policies and procedures. Students begin to work with their Academic Advisers during New Student Orientation prior to the beginning of classes.

PERSONAL COUNSELING — Personal Counseling staff helps all students with problems such as depression, anxiety, and other behavioral concerns that interfere with their academic and social life on campus through individual, group or couples counseling, crisis intervention, or brief problem-solving sessions. Through the counseling process, students may explore their interpersonal relationships and their college experience. Personal Counseling staff is also available to talk with students or groups on personal development topics such as assertiveness, eating disorders, date rape, and conflict resolution. The personal counselor(s) may refer students to other professional services when necessary.

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Graceland’s organized musical groups are the orchestra, band, jazz ensembles, choir, chamber singers, and other choral and instrumental ensembles. Some ensembles perform both on and off campus.

Choral and instrumental chamber music ensembles are organized and scheduled individually according to available instrumentation and voices.

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The Frederick Madison Smith Library offers a selection of print and nonprint materials for the use of students, faculty, and members of the community. The library’s collection includes 117,517 book volumes, 575 periodical and newspaper subscriptions, 72,900 government documents, 2,150 records, cassettes and CD's, 1,367 videotapes and DVDs. The VTLS library automation system provides an integrated, on-line public access catalog, circulation, closed reserve, serials control and acquisitions system. A network of computer workstations in the library provides access to a variety of electronic databases and journal indexes, to the automated card catalog, and to the Internet. Many of these databases and indexes, as well as the library catalog, are available to off-campus users over the Internet.

Because of agreements with other libraries, it is possible for students and faculty to acquire materials the library does not own. These interlibrary loan services are extended to patrons through the statewide SILO and the international OCLC computer networks.

Since 1927, the university has been officially designated as a government depository library. This service provides a very useful collection of government-printed materials covering a wide range of subject areas.

The library also houses a special collection of books, documents, pictures, manuscripts, oral history tapes, and administrative records dealing with the history of the sponsoring church, the community of Lamoni, and Graceland University. The collection, housed in the DuRose Rare Books Room, is available to Graceland students, faculty, and other scholars and interested persons.

The library serves the university’s academic program by obtaining audiovisual materials through a nationwide interlibrary loan consortium. A wide variety of audiovisual equipment and materials is provided for faculty and student use, both in the classroom and in the library. Also, different locations in the library are provided as video viewing rooms and audio listening stations.

In an effort to aid students in their research, the library provides class and individual instruction in the use of library and Internet resources. An Information Desk is staffed to assist users with their reference needs. The library is also the center for the Department of Instructional Technology and campus’ microcomputer labs.

Students have the opportunity for group study in the student lounge, which includes a free hot chocolate/coffee bar, located in the lower level of the library. Quiet study areas are provided on the campus and upper level. The library staff works closely with the students to maintain an atmosphere that is both comfortable and informal, and at the same time conducive to study and research.

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The Grabske Library is located at the Independence Campus. Its holdings focus on medicine, nursing, science, and allied health subject areas; it includes professional journals, monographs, a vertical file and a variety of audiovisual materials. The current holdings include 3,285 book volumes, 322 audiovisual items, and 159 current periodical subscriptions, with many more journal titles available electronically. A list of journal holdings for this library is available on site.

Interlibrary loan, particularly for professional journals and print media, is available to Graceland students and faculty. The Grabske Library's catalog is part of the Graceland University Libraries' VTLS online library system. Several electronic databases and journal indexes, as well as the library's catalog, are available to users over the Internet and also at the computer workstations provided in the library.

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Graceland’s Information Technology Services department provides information services to Graceland University in many different forms. Those provided directly to all students include:

• Network logon for access to university systems
• Student email account
• Network file storage (50 Megabyte limitation)
• Personal web page space (by request)
• Access to course management software system when required
• Access to Unix for programming classes
• Access to campus computer labs (Macintosh and Windows) and lab printing services
• Access to public machines located in the Memorial Student Center and the F.M. Smith Library
• Access to online library services
• Wireless access (on the Lamoni campus includes academic buildings, student center, library, main athletic fields and gym)
  
  NOTE: Lamoni residence hall student rooms connect to the network/internet via wired connections, you must bring your own Ethernet cable.

In addition, students staying in residence halls receive the following information services:

• Telephone (shared with roommate if you have one)
• Personal voice mailbox
• Cable TV connection
• Data network connection for personal computers, which includes access to the Internet. (Peer-to-peer (p2p) sharing software not allowed access to the Internet.)

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Instructional Technology Services provides the following services for students:

• Software questions answered on individual or group basis (workshops can be arranged) via the STA+program.
• Audio/Visual support for hooking up presentation equipment for class presentations.
• Audio/Visual equipment to loan for class projects (Data Projectors, VHS and digital camcorders, digital still cameras, VHS and DVD players, tape recorders, Portable PA System, etc.)
• Audio/Visual work including video and sound taping, editing, producing and copying.
• Price List for AV Work available on website: http://sta.graceland.edu
• For questions please email sta@graceland.edu or call #5400 or #5496.

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Graceland University participates in both the ACT and SAT testing programs. The ACT or SAT must be taken at an approved test center during a student’s junior or senior year in high school. In extreme circumstances, a student may be able to take the ACT on the Graceland campus during new student orientation.

The Academic Policies & Procedures section provides information about credit by examination accepted at Graceland.

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The University maintains an outpatient Health Service Center where students may be seen for all illnesses and injuries. Graceland’s Health Service is staffed full-time by a nurse practitioner and an office manager. All records are kept confidential. Student Health Services works closely with the medical clinics located in Lamoni. Students will be referred to health care providers outside of Health Services when necessary.

Students attending classes on the Lamoni campus must have a completed health form on file at Health Services. In addition, students living in the University’s residence halls are required to have written documentation of two MMRs (Mumps, Measles, and Rubella) given no less than one month apart after the first birthday. Exemption from the MMR will be permitted to those for whom immunization is contradicted and verified by a doctor. Students from countries with a high risk of tuberculosis will be tested for TB.

Students may purchase low-cost injury and sickness health insurance. All International students are required to purchase this policy. The insurance provides coverage for 12 months and protects insured students while traveling in and outside of the United States.

Students in the Nursing major are required to have another physical examination prior to entrance into the clinical nursing courses. At this time the student must show evidence that they have current immunizations for polio, tetanus, diphtheria, MMR, and Hepatitis B. A Titer must be documented to prove immunity to varicella. A two-step TB skin test is also required. A chest X-ray is required only if the TB skin test is positive.

Effective upon enrollment in nursing courses and every year thereafter, all nursing students are required to provide proof of hospitalization insurance. Nominal charges are assessed by Health Services for physical examinations and diagnostic tests.

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A student handbook is available online. This handbook includes the Code of Conduct, campus policies, academic calendars, and general information.

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(Lamoni and Independence Campuses - Fall and Spring Semesters)

35 States are represented. 38 Countries are represented.

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