Hidden Jewels of the Campus
This page is designed to help you discover the many exciting opportunities, facilities, and programs here on campus that can sometimes be easy to overlook--hence the name. These Hidden Jewels are like a toy in the box of your favorite cereal--they make a great thing even better!
ARTS ON THE POINT
Quinn--02--034
Ever
wondered about that giant I-beam structure in front of the Quinn Building?
Its name is "Huru," and if you give Huru a second look, you
might see something interesting in the way it presides over the campus
drive, its top balancing, shifting, and moving ever-so-slightly in the
wind.
Huru is only one of a growing number of sculpture pieces by famous artists brought to our campus as part of "Arts on the Point," a public sculpture park dedicated to the cultural and intellectual enrichment of the Boston area. Other sculptures you'll find standing boldly on the main plaza, resting in hallways, hanging from buildings, and nestled outside under the trees by the water.
In addition to the on-campus educational activities, Arts on the Point has developed community education and outreach projects. These projects, supported by privately raised funds, are designed in collaboration with the staff of neighborhood organizations and community groups to address their needs and interests.
BEACON FITNESS CENTER
McCormack-- 01--710
Feeling
sluggish and run down? Want to meet new friends and get in shape? Check
out the Beacon Fitness Center on the first floor of the McCormack Building!
The Center offers strength and cardiovascular equipment, including Cybex, Nautilus, Body Master, Quinton Treadmills, Lifecycles, and free weights--plus a fully trained, professional staff. The low-key, friendly environment is welcoming to students of all physical abilities.
At the Beacon Fitness Center, you can get help with weight management, sport nutrition, strength training, osteoporosis prevention, blood pressure screenings, and other programs. It's also a great place to connect with other UMass Boston students.
BOSTON FOLK FESTIVAL / WUMB RADIO
Healey--LL--077
You
may know that UMass Boston is home to a professional public radio station.
However, did you know that WUMB also produces the annual Boston Folk Festival
the end of September? If you wander into the basement of the Healey Library,
you'll find the studios of WUMB Radio and the offices of the Boston
Folk Festival.
The annual Boston Folk Festival is a three-day, five-stage folk music
extravaganza featuring a variety of music including contemporary and traditional
folk, blues, bluegrass, Celtic and World music. There's even a boat
that sails out to Boston Harbor with live Sea Shanty singers aboard. Thousands
of people come to campus for this event to dance, to listen to music,
to eat great food, and to have an all around good time. Student volunteers
get in to the Festival for free!
CAMPUS MINISTRY
McCormack--3--Ryan Lounge
7-5839
Interfaith
Campus Ministry at UMass Boston is here to serve the community by offering
spiritual guidance and pastoral care to students, faculty and staff. The
primary aim of Campus Ministry is to help students to develop intellectual
understanding of their faith, and to deepen their self-knowledge and their
relationship with themselves, with God, and with others.
Campus Ministry staff members encourage students to be faithful to their own heritage of faith and to develop and deepen their faith journey by exploring, welcoming, and appreciating diversity.
Campus Ministry is enriched and supported by the other members of the interfaith community. You can join Campus Ministry activities and visit the interfaith chapel for quiet time of prayer or just to rest for a few minutes in silence.
CENTERS AND INSTITUTES
Healey--10th & 11th floor
The
Centers and Institutes located at UMass Boston reflects the campus'
commitment to bring the intellectual, technical and human resources of
the university to the metropolitan community. Several centers and institutes
are located in the Healey Library.
Centers include the Center for Survey Research, a full-scale academic survey research center to the Center for Women in Politics & Public Policy (a part of the McCormack Center for Public Policy), which provides quality education and a research operation that serves as a resource for the empowerment of women from diverse communities across the state.
Institutes include: the Institute for Asian American Studies which brings together resources and expertise to conduct research on Asian Americans; the Mauricio Gastón Institute which informs policy makers about issues vital to the Commonwealth's growing Latino community; and, the William Monroe Trotter Institute for the Study of Black Culture which addresses the needs and concerns of the Black community through research, technical assistance, and public service.
Quinn Graphics
Service--LL--024
The Healey Library has copy machines for small jobs, but if you need to do any high-volume copying, Quinn Graphics is the place for you. For a reasonable fee, they'll even make giant color posters out of your snapshots.
Quinn Graphics offers high-volume printing and provides an array of pre-press printing, xerographic reproduction and bindery services for the University community. Two color offset printing presses and a high speed networked digital printer produce a wide variety of University publications including brochures, posters, invitations, postcards, booklets, announcements, carbonless forms, letterhead and envelopes.
CLARK ATHLETIC CENTER – POOL, ICE RINK AND MORE
Clark--LL--013
Even
if you don't like to play or watch sports, the Clark Athletic Center
houses a basketball court by a swimming pool and an ice rink for use by
UMass Boston students with a current student ID. The pool has general
swim and lap swim hours every day and the ice rink has a general skate
nearly every day in the winter. In the spring and summer, you may want
to check out the sailing program.
If you need a break from studying, join one of the intramural programs from Five on Five Basketball to Badminton and Whiffleball.
CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER
Service--UL--036
The Customer Service Center offers an integrated approach to delivering quality service and information. They exist to provide the university community with a central location for communication, information and service within the Administration and Finance areas.
This is also the place to get your free-for-life e-mail account.
FOLLETT BOOKSTORE
Campus Center--UL
The Follett Bookstore is available for your course books, paper, pens, notebooks--and everything you need to get the semester off to a good start. They also have a complete line of t-shirts, sweatpants and sweatshirts, caps and more. At the end of the semester, the Follett Bookstore also offers a buyback service so that you can trade in all those textbooks for cash.
FOX POINT LANDING PAVILION
Outdoors by the boat dock
Over
the years, the Fox Point Landing has been a rest area, an outdoor classroom
and a general meeting place for students, staff and faculty of the University.
UMass Boston Marine Operations recently constructed a permanent structure
that provides a comfortable and educational atmosphere. The structure
is available year round, with picnic tables and grills and caters to the
needs of the campus and people taking a walk along the Fox Point trail.
Just beyond the Pavilion, is the Fox Point Basin docking facility, located in Savin Hill Cove The basin is weather protected and offers an 80ft. main float with two 60ft finger floats for smaller vessels. Docking here is available for vessels up to 5ft draft.
GREENHOUSE
Science--4--041
Do
bananas grow in Dorchester? Yes they do-- along with many other exotic
plants--at the UMass Boston Greenhouse. Why not visit and take a
peek? Tucked away at the end of a corridor on the fourth floor of the
Science Center, you'll find a spirit-lifting surprise: the UMass
Boston Greenhouse.
Step inside and experience the warm, fragrant air; see the plants of many colors and kinds. The three rooms of the Greenhouse feature tropical plants, such as bananas and coffee, as well as others that grow in more temperate climates, such as citrus trees, orchids, cacti, and succulents. Sunflowers and green beans are also grown here.
HEALTH SERVICES
Quinn--02--040
Whether you need a tiny bandage or a major appointment with a medical doctor, University Health Services can help.
University Health Services is committed to providing quality medical services and education to enhance and promote the health and well being of the UMass Boston community.
Programs are aimed at promoting optimal physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. Services are designed to increase awareness of health- related issues, assist students with making responsible healthcare decisions, and provide quality healthcare to the University of Massachusetts Boston student population.
HURRICANE CRUISES
(Marine Operations)
Service--UL--028
Taking
a hurricane cruise is usually a bad idea--unless that cruise is on
the Hurricane, one of UMass Boston's marine vessels.
Possible destinations include Thompson's Island, Gloucester, Nantucket, and Salem. Topics explored include maritime history, public policy, environmental science and coastal zone management. The vessel is well equipped to facilitate experiential learning and team building, and can accommodate most research applications.
In addition to those expeditions run for courses and special programs, the Division of Marine Operations also oversees free Tuesday lunchtime cruises during the warmer months.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SERVICES
Campus Center--1--1100
If
you are an international student here at UMass Boston, you are certainly
not alone. Over 1,000 international students from over 90 countries attend
UMass Boston's undergraduate, graduate and ESL Programs, making
our university one very cosmopolitan place.
The Office of International Student Services, housed in the University Advising Center, provides immigration counseling, student request processing, academic advising for undeclared undergraduates, orientation and cultural programming for students on non-immigrant visas.
NANTUCKET FIELD STATION
Nanctucket, MA 02554
Ah,
Nantucket! The shops, the sights, the sounds--the science! As a UMass
Boston student, you can spend time studying marine sciences and other
disciplines at the Nantucket Field Station.
The Nantucket Field Station includes a 107-acre field site with laboratory
facilities, residence space, and offices--all surrounded by wetlands,
freshwater ponds, and abundant wildlife on the island of Nantucket, overlooking
Nantucket Harbor. The station is open for research, academic work, and
field trips throughout the year and has provided more than 35 years of
continuous service as a learning center for environmental education and
research.
When you finish your work at the lab, there's certainly a lot to
see and do on this island known for its natural beauty and rich history.
OFFICE OF SERVICE LEARNING
Wheatley--4--175
Do you enjoy volunteering? Do you want to make a difference by helping people in the local community? Check out the Office of Service Learning and Community Outreach (OSCLO) to learn about volunteering and "service learning."
Service learning is a great opportunity for students who want to engage with the world around them by doing meaningful acts of service. It is volunteerism taken to the next level; it's service connected to your academic interests, done with the supervision of faculty. Imagine: you can volunteer your time, providing needed assistance in the local community; learn about a subject area (such as education, economics, political science, or urban planning); apply what you've learned in the community setting; and earn academic credit for the experience. OSCLO promotes and expands service learning and community outreach programs at UMass Boston.
RECYCLING SERVICES
Service--UL--001
Heads up! UMass Boston Recycles.
UMass Boston is committed to recycling. In the departments and offices,
you'll notice blue recycling tubs for paper waste. In hallways,
you'll find red bins for mixed metal, glass, and plastic waste.
In the cafeterias, there are specially-marked receptacles for different
types of waste and recyclable materials.
Please take the time to throw recyclable materials into the appropriate
bins and help UMass Boston be green! It takes only a little effort to
make a big difference.
PUBLIC SAFTEY OFFICE
Outside Quinn Administration
The UMass Boston Department of Public Safety is committed to creating and maintaining a safe and secure environment for the university community. In order to accomplish this task, the department subscribes to a community-oriented policing philosophy.
Police officers are on duty 24 hours a day, all year long. They patrol the university and adjacent roads in marked police vehicles, on police bicycles, and on foot. All police officers have the same law enforcement authority as state or municipal police officers and are trained at state certified municipal police training academies
THE ROSS CENTER FOR DISABILITY SERVICES
Campus Center--3
The
Ross Center provides services that reduce barriers to academic studies
and student life. It offers information, disability-related support services,
and a variety of activities throughout the year.
The staff also works closely with the University's ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Office to assist employees and departments of the University by raising awareness and by acting as a resource for information on disability issues.
The Ross Center's goal is equity and excellence in education, through helping each student to develop and maintain independence while maximizing academic potential. Its philosophy encourages self-awareness, self-determination, and self-advocacy. Center personnel work with UMass Boston students, faculty, and staff to assure appropriate academic adjustments that provide equal access to classes and other activities on campus for all students.
SCHOLARSHIP OFFICE
Campus Center--4
If you need help paying for your UMass Boston education, the Scholarship Office might be able to help. UMass Boston is committed to recognizing past academic success, as well as talent in the arts and exceptional work in public service, through the awarding of merit-based scholarships.
Scholarships are important on several levels. Not only do they provide students with needed financial support, but they also give students who earn them a sense of accomplishment that can serve as an incentive to pursue further academic goals.
UNIVERSITY HONORS PROGRAM
Campus Center--1--1414
If you're curious, ambitious, reflective, independent-minded--if you thrive on intellectual challenge--the University Honors Program at UMass Boston might be right for you. It's a program for students who want to be active participants in their own experience of learning, and to share the fruits of that experience with others.
The program offers deeply attentive advising, an orientation program on Thompson's Island, an annual series of extra-curricular events, an "Island as Text" project on Nantucket, an honors seminar room with computers, and priority registration for all courses.
Recent Honors Program graduates have received prestigious awards including
the Fulbright fellowship, the Marshall scholarship, and the National Institutes
of Health scholarship.
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