Counseling
At the Law School, Dean Tondra Netherton is available for personal and academic counseling. The career counseling staff at the Career Development Office is of course available for career-related counseling. Your faculty adviser or another faculty member can provide advice on course selection, study techniques, etc. For first-year students, your Legal Research and Writing Senior Fellow also may be able to offer advice and assistance with problems. If you feel you need professional help, the University offers the following free services for Tulane students.
Educational Resources and Counseling, Mechanical Engineering Building, 504.865.5113. Open 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Appointments must be made in person with the ERC receptionist. On staff at ERC are psychologists, social workers and professional counselors who offer expertise in many areas, including stress and anxiety management.
ERC also houses the Office of Disability Services, ODS. Students who seek classroom or examination accommodations must register with ODS as soon as possible and follow all ODS procedures for requesting accommodations. Also, see Services for Students with Disabilities, below. In addition to individual counseling, ERC and ODS offer a variety of student groups and workshops, and all services, with the exception of testing fees, are available to Tulane students at no charge.
The University Health Service, Counseling and Psychiatry Section. Student Health Center, Newcomb Place at Willow Street, 504.865.5255. The office is staffed by psychiatrists and psychiatric social workers.
REACH, Rape Emergency and Awareness Coping Hotline, 504.501.6184. A group of Tulane faculty, staff and student volunteers have been trained to help people with problems of sexual aggression and rape. Volunteers monitor an emergency telephone line and assist sexual assault victims in a crisis. REACH works with the Tulane Health Service and Educational Resources and Counseling to assist victims with medical or emotional concerns. It arranges initial and follow-up medical visits and counseling and also sets up emergency housing if a victim needs a safe place to stay. REACH conducts seminars and workshops about dating dynamics and sexual assault. For more information, contact Educational Resources and Counseling, 504.865.5113.
Information shared in the counseling process, including the fact that a student has sought counseling, is kept confidential.
Students also may seek advice from one of the campus chaplains.
Services for Students with Disabilities
The University welcomes individuals with disabilities, and seeks to support their particular needs and rights and to ensure that they have an equal opportunity to participate in the University community.
Tulane's diverse student population includes well-qualified students with documented disabilities who may require learning, sight, hearing, manual, speech or mobility accommodations to ensure fair access to educational and residential resources. To provide students with disabilities with every opportunity to explore educational opportunities and demonstrate their talents and intellect on a level playing field with their peers without disabilities, the University makes available reasonable accommodations in accordance with Section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The University's Office of Disability Services (ODS) serves as the central campus resource for Tulane students with documented disabilities or with disability concerns. ODS is a part of the Educational Resources and Counseling office and is located in the Mechanical Engineering Building. ODS can be contacted by telephone 504.862.8443 or in person, between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. More information about ODS is available on the ODS web site. ODS works in partnership with students, faculty, and staff to develop successful strategies for maximizing students' academic achievement and participation in extracurricular activities and programs.
Students with disabilities who believe that they require reasonable course or examination accommodations must register with ODS as soon as possible and follow all ODS procedures for requesting accommodations. Because current clinical documentation is required before ODS can consider any requests for reasonable accommodation, newly matriculating students who have documented disabilities should contact ODS and submit all necessary forms and documentation at least one month before arriving on campus if possible.
Students are responsible for making requests for reasonable accommodations and for submitting all necessary documentation in support of those requests. While ODS helps students articulate their needs, engages with students in an interactive discussion about possible accommodations, and assists students in communicating any approved accommodations to instructors or staff, students remain ultimately responsible for complying with ODS and University procedures and for ensuring that the University is aware of the need for accommodations in the first place. The accommodation approval process may take several weeks if additional documentation is required by ODS. Accommodations cannot be provided before your documentation has been approved so students should register with ODS at least one month before accommodations are needed. No forms or letters will be given out by ODS within 14 days of the start of final exam period. Accommodations do not apply retroactively.
Any student with specific questions about ODS procedures and policies should contact David Tylicki, Manager of ODS, and refer to the ODS website. In addition, students with questions about services for students with disabilities at the Law School should contact Dean Netherton, Assistant Dean for Students, or Michele Certoma, Program Coordinator for Academic Affairs and Services. Students are not to discuss the nature of their examination accommodations with their professors.
Free CLE
Tulane law students may attend any Tulane Continuing Legal Education program free of charge (excluding meal functions). This opportunity enables students to be exposed to the practical aspects of an area of law and provides the opportunity for contact with practicing attorneys attending these programs. Students interested in attending a Tulane CLE program are encouraged to talk with a career counselor at the Career Development Office about how to make the most of this opportunity and should contact the Tulane CLE office to reserve a place.