Purple Prose

Health Services

2008-08-16T00:00:00-05:00

Feeling sick? Forgot your medication? Need to see a doctor? The staff of the health service encourages to use our services! We encourage you to ask questions and to discuss any health concerns you might have. If you need care beyond the services we normally provide, we can facilitate referrals to the area medical community.

Health Services is here to help and is open to all registered students. We emphasize health promotion, education, and prevention. Come visit us on the ground floor of Woodland Hall and check out ourwebiste of services at www.mychathm.edu.

Dorm v. Residence Hall

2008-07-21T08:00:00-05:00

A lot of people come to campus calling our residence areas 'dorms' and in fact in many places, the term dorm and residence hall are used interchagably.
I wanted to give a little history, and let you know that Chatham does not have dorms - we have residence halls. Even our apartment areas are considered apartment style residence halls.
So, what's the difference?
A residence hall is a rich community intentionally designed from physical structure to the offering of activities to the placement of residence hall staff to create opportunities for personal and educational growth.
A dorm may just be a place to hang your hat, but our residence halls are so much more than that!! You expect more from us than just to provide a bed, so we expect more from you than to just sleep in it. Our residence halls have rich opportunity for you to contribute and benefit from the community; take advantage!

Checklist for Fall Student-Athletes

2008-06-25T10:00:00-05:00

Fall student-athletes - those competing in cross country, soccer, tennis and volleyball - arrive on campus for pre-season practices prior to orientation. In order to make sure that housing and equipment is ready for the early arrival, fall student-athletes need to communicate with coaches throughout the summer. Here's a quick list of things to do:

Confirm your participation on a fall team by emailing or calling the athletic department by July 21st. You will receive addional information about early arrival once you confirm your fall sport participation.
Inform coaches about any athletic injuries that will require rehabilitation or special medical clearance for participation.

Early arrival for fall student-athletes is on Friday, August 15 between 10:00 am and 5:00 pm.

Photo Credit - Phil Pavely

But, I've never shared a room before...

2008-06-20T08:00:00-05:00

A lot of students who come to live on campus haven't shared a room with anyone before, which pretty much levels the playing field when it comes to negotiating the living arrangement. Even if you have had the opportunity to live with someone before, whether it was a sibling, good friend or not-so-good friend, you can share that experience with those around you.

So, since most of you haven't done it before, why do we make you do it when you come here? Becuase there are many, many situations throughout your life in which you will have to navigate differences. Your residence hall experience as a first year, and beyond, is the ultimate learning laboratory. You will learn just as much about yourself as you will about the people around you.

Not only will you learn how to respect people, but how to get their respect back. There is no magic check list for residence hall living, or getting along with your roommate. If you both try to respect each other, and talk early and often about what's great and not-so-great about your room, you're off to a really great start.

picking who lives with whom

2008-06-18T00:00:00-05:00

So, you've filled out all that room preference information and are wondering what we'll do with it and where you'll end up living...

First, we try our best to accomodate everyone's first choice for where they want to live. Then, we look to see who's indicated if there is someone they want to live with, and verify that the other person wants to live with them, too.

Then we start to put people together in twos, threes and fours, based on room type preferences (double, triple, quad) and along the lines of things like whether or not they smoke, if they consider themselves neat or messy, and when they say they like to go to sleep.

The rest of the information is used to nuance the matches, and as a tie-breaker. Unfortunately, we aren't usually able to match folks on every question we ask about. In many cases, we'll use your answers to paint a picture of who you are to see who you'll be compatable with. It's really a set of educated quesses that result in a normal distribution of perfect matches, perfect mis-matches and everything in between.

One thing we can say is that you should expect (even if you're in the 10% of perfect matches!) at some point to have a disagreement or misunderstanding with your roommate(s). Its ok, its expected , and we'll help you get through it.

Do I really need health insurance?

2008-06-17T00:00:00-05:00

Chatham University makes health insurance a requirement for all full time students. While the Office of Health Services does not direct bill insurance companies for physician visits and services, you may want to make a claim for services rendered. Please note that all other offices that you may be referred to do direct bill insurance companies for services received.

The Office of Admissions will be mailing information on a student accident and sickness insurance policy in late June or early July. Read this information carefully. If you are already insured, please make sure that it covers you for services in Pennsylvania and follow the directions to waive this coverage by the due date. If you do not respond by the due date, you will automatically be billed for this insurance.

The student accident and sickness policy is a one year policy and covers you from the effective date in August 2008 until August 2009. You will be billed by Chatham's Office of Student Services and you will be mailed a card in October from the insurance company. If you do not receive a card, please contact the Office of Student Services at 412-365-1510 to have your enrollment verified and the insurance company will be notified to send you a card. You can begin using this coverage on the effective date (even if you don't have a card) indicated in the information mailed to you.

You can direct any questions regarding benefits and coverage and services for the student accident and sickness policy to the toll free numbers or the website indicated in the mailing.

Health Forms for Fall 2008 Students

2008-06-10T00:00:00-05:00

The Student Health Services staff extends a warm welcome to all. All students entering the university for the first time or are transferring to the university are required to submit two health forms: a student health information form and an immunization record. These forms were included in your admission packet and assist us in your health care needs. The deadline for submission is August 1.

The health information form can be filled out by you, the student, and only requires a parental signature if you are under 18. The immunization form should be filled out and signed by your health care provider. Should you have questions about these forms, contact the Office of Health Services at: jkurtz@chatham.edu

Meningitis Vaccine: Should I get it?

2008-06-10T00:00:00-05:00

What is the law?

A few years ago, research by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) found that students residing on campus in residence halls appear to be at higher risk for meningococcal disease than college students overall. The College and University Student Vaccination Act has been in effect in the state of Pennsylvania since August 2002. It states that all students residing in any on campus housing receive a one-time vaccination against meningococcal disease or sign a waiver for religious or other reasons after they have been provided with information on the risks associated with the disease and the effectiveness of the vaccine.

A meningitis fact sheet and waiver form are included in the Chatham University Welcome booklet. Please review before making any decisions. The Office of Health Services is required to track this information on all students. Deadline for submission of your date of vaccination or waiver form is August 1 to avoid a medical hold on your student account.

Chatham University does not provide the vaccine, and if you are not residing in any on campus housing, the law does not affect you. For more information on meningitis disease and the vaccine you can contact: www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo or jkurtz@chatham.edu

Start Your Workouts at the AFC this Summer

2008-06-05T10:00:00-05:00

You don't have to wait to workout in the Athletic and Fitness Center!

If you have registered for the Fall semester and received your Chatham ID card, you can use the AFC to workout this summer. Simply present your card to the control desk employee when you sign in before each visit. Swim in the pool, run on the track, play squash or stop in to say "hello".

Cougar's Summer Vacation

2008-06-05T10:00:00-05:00

Hi, I'm Cougar. Most people have only seen me at athletics contests and special events during the school year. With this blog, you'll know more about how I spend my summers. I'm always discovering new things about campus and about Pittsburgh and I can't wait to share some of my experiences with you.

I just started a summer internship. I'm working in the Chatham chemistry lab with Dr. Joe MacNeil. We'll be doing experiments to determine whether planting sunflowers can help to clean up ground soil contamination from heavy metals- very cool. We just started growing new plants for the experiment. Below is a picture of me with senior Emma Karey who is also working on this project.

When I'm not spending time in the lab this summer, I'll be busy attending the best events that Pittsburgh has to offer. Until next time ...

New Student Infomation System

2008-06-04T10:53:00-05:00

The New Student Information System is an online tool designed to help new students share important information with the University. The information you provide through the system will help us stay in touch with you and your family, assign you to a room (and roommate) if you will be living on campus, and gauge your extracurricular and recreational interests. This information you provide will be kept confidential and will not be shared without your consent. All new students are required to login to the New Student Information System and provide all of the information that is requested.

If you have not already done so, please login to the New Student Information System as soon as possible so that we may gather the information that we need to ensure that your transition to Chatham goes smoothly.

It is not necessary to complete all of the forms in the system in one sitting; you may revisit as many times as you like. Each time you login, the system will remember where you left off and which forms you have already completed.

If you have any questions about your userid and password, or how to login to the system, please contact the Information Technology Services Helpdesk at 412.365.1112 or helpdesk@chatham.edu.

New Student Undergraduate Orientation

2008-06-02T09:00:00-05:00

Chatham University is looking forward to welcoming our new undergraduate students to campus. Orientation will begin August 21 through August 24. Out of state/international students are able to request early arrival, beginning August 20 at noon. From academic advising and expectations to outdoor adventure and a Gateway Clipper Cruise, Orientation will prepare new students to meet the challenges of collegiate life and ease their transition to Chatham University.

For a preliminary Undergraduate New Student Orientation schedule, please visit the following link:

http://www.chatham.edu/studentlife_v2/newstudent_ugradschedule.cfm

Welcome!

2008-05-19T16:30:00-05:00

Purple Prose is designed to help new students make the transition to life at Chatham College for Women. From advice on how to build a course schedule or work with a faculty advisor, to tips on how to get involved in residence life and student activities, this blog is a place where you can find answers to questions that will help you prepare for your college career and life beyond.

Photo by Felicia Kieselhorst