Student Support Services

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Department of Statistics and Data Services

The Department of Statistics and Data Services provides a limited amount of free consulting on research design and data analysis issues through in-person and telephone appointments, e-mail consulting, documentation, training, and statistical and mathematical software support. The consultants are not available to assist students with homework questions, but can provide assistance with qualifying document and dissertation projects.

Graduate Student Writing Service

The Sanger Learning Center offers a number of services for graduate students. This service provides individualized, free writing assistance. The staff of highly trained graduate-student consultants is qualified to offer help with writing in all disciplines and at all levels. Students may bring in any writing project, ranging from a fellowship application or CV to an article for publication, a master’s thesis, or even a dissertation.

The Writing Service mission is to help graduate students become independent, confident writers. Consultants do not proofread or edit papers, nor do they predict grades or guarantee better grades. Rather, they provide expert advice to help writers improve their skills and make the most of their work.

Libraries

UT offers many different libraries throughout campus for the use of graduate students. The Perry-Castañeda Library (PCL) offers most of the services that Educational Psychology graduate students use. The library website also offers services that can be accessed by students on campus or off with the use of a UT EID. A sampling of these resources includes Psych Info online, ERIC online, and Info-Track. The library system provides not only research support, but library staff (currently, our contact is Janelle Hedstrom) that assist students in becoming more knowledgeable about library resources and the vast array of online research tools available to assist in their research.

Office of the Dean of Students

The Student Services Building (SSB) houses the Office of the Dean of Students, which offers many services for students. It is located on 100-F West Dean Keeton. Below are just some of the services offered. For more complete information, please visit the DoS website. Note: your Dean is the Dean of Graduate Studies – not the Dean of Students, but the services provided by the Dean of Students office are for all UT students. The most commonly-used services are listed below.

The Versatile PhD

The Versatile PhD is an online service paid for by the Graduate School. It helps doctoral students who are not seeking academic careers explore the wide range of career options available. The site focuses primarily on disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, but has recently expanded its offerings to include the STEM disciplines.

Parking Information

Faculty, staff, and students may buy a parking permit from the Parking & Transportation ServicesOffice, located at 1815 Trinity Street (in the Trinity Parking Garage), or a garage contract at one of the parking garage offices. Students who are employed at least 20 hours in academic appointments are eligible for Class A permits.

Students who are not eligible for Class A permits have the option of buying Class C (unreserved student) or Class S (commuter student) garage permits. All lots show signs indicating the type of permits allowed and hours of restriction. Most restrictions are in effect weekdays from 7:30 a.m. until 5:45 p.m., but some areas are "Reserved at All Times." It is very important to read and understand the signs and regulations or you WILL get a ticket, and you may get towed!

Students and visitors are welcome to park in parking garages offering hourly rates or at any parking meter on campus. Many students park in the parking garage near the George F. Sánchez Building (behind the Blanton Art Museum), near the intersection of Brazos and Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Privately owned pay lots and garages also are available around the perimeter of campus for use if UT parking garages are full. Faculty, staff, and students who prefer to ride motorcycles or mopeds to campus are required to buy a permit to park on campus. Cyclists need to register their bicycles with the UT Police Dept.

There is a small amount of 30-minute parking available on the west side of the Sanchez Building.

A State Disabled Parking Permit is honored on campus, and specific areas are set aside for disabled parking on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. A University Disabled Permit is required in addition to the State Permit or license plates during these times. Please be sure to read the signs and park in a space designated for disabled parking.

Technical and Computer Support

The Computer Lab of the Information Technology Office offers a wide range of computer facilities and services for College of Education students, faculty, and staff. During open lab hours, students may sit down at a computer work-station and log in with their EID. The ITO is not typically open in between semesters.

Other ITO services include equipment checkout and delivery to classrooms, computer/technical support, laptop and software assistance, a student study/collaboration/recharge area, laser printing, videoconferencing, and technical tutorials. Students can also check out video cameras to record their test administrations and therapy sessions.

The Flawn Academic Center (FAC) is located west of the Tower, between the Main Building and the Texas Union. The FAC also houses the Campus Computer Store. This store offers greatly reduced pricing on a wide variety of software packages for both Mac and PC users, as well as new computers and other technology.

Many Educational Psychology classes require students to use one of a variety of statistical software packages. These packages are available at the Campus Computer Store. For example, SPSS, a widely used program, can be rented for a 1-year period for approximately $100. The retail price for this program is around $1000. SPSS can also be purchased for download at a reduced price for students.

The University ITS Help and Service Desk provides students, faculty, and staff at The University of Texas at Austin with a centralized point of contact for computer help, questions concerning ITS services and navigating IT at The University.

UT Shuttle Buses and Rail

Many students opt to use the UT shuttle buses instead of driving to and parking on campus. The shuttle buses provide free transportation in certain residential areas to and from the UT campus, as well as transportation within the campus. With their UT identification card, students may also ride the Capital Metro buses, MetroRail, and MetroRapid free of charge.