Compliance Certification Report
| 2.10 | The institution provides student support programs, services, and activities consistent with its mission that promote student learning and enhance the development of its students. (Student Support Services) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) is in compliance with Principle 2.10 because the student support programs and services at the University are consistent with the mission of the University; in particular UAH "is committed to maintaining a diverse academic community of the highest quality, and to providing an environment that facilitates intellectual, cultural, personal, and professional growth." UAH offers many services to facilitate student growth. Over the past decade, UAH has sought to become more supportive of students, and part of this effort has been improvements in student services. Signs of the improving effectiveness of support programs and services at UAH are the improving retention, persistence, and graduation rates. The first year retention percentages have increased from 68 percent in 1991, for the 1990 cohort, to 76 percent in 2004, for the 2003 cohort. The four-year graduation percentage rose from 6 percent for the 1991 cohort to 15 percent for the 2000 cohort. The five year graduation percentage rose from 22 percent for the 1991 cohort to 36 percent for the 1999 cohort. The following discussion provides examples of the types of support services and activities associated with the University. There are specialized units within the University and in each college designed to provide not only academic advice, but also a range of assistance. This assistance ranges from counseling to tutoring services to labs and resource centers. These services and activities have been categorized into the following three areas:
A brief description of the services and programs offered within each of these categories follows. Student Development Services The Office of Student Development Services (SDS) promotes the emotional, psychological, and physical health of UAH students. A broad spectrum of academic, developmental, and health education programs are presented throughout the academic year. The Office of Student Development Services provides the following services to help students learn and develop throughout their college career:
The Counseling Center The Counseling Center assists students through short-term therapy to successfully cope with stressors that negatively affect academic, personal, and social functioning. Through individual and group counseling, students are assisted with recognition and treatment of personal difficulties. Individual treatment plans are devised and implemented to alleviate or successfully manage problems. Short-term therapy does not exceed a 3 to 4 month period without reassessment and/or referral off-campus. The International Association of Counseling Services recommends minimum staffing ratios of one full-time counselor for every 1,000 or 1,500 students. Although the Counseling Center has increased the number of scheduled individual counseling appointments from previous years, the ratio of counselors to students is 1 to 3,500 students. The Center has funding for an additional counselor and is currently advertising the position to be filled by Fall Semester 2005. The hiring of a new counselor will bring the ratio to 1 to 2,300. Services for Students with Disabilities The University is committed to providing educational opportunities to academically qualified students with disabilities, pursuant to the requirements of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The University operates its programs and constructs its facilities with a view toward providing accessibility for students with disabilities. The Vice President for Student Affairs has been designated by the University as the official responsible for coordinating the institution's implementation of this policy and its compliance with these federal statutes. Assistance to disabled students is made available primarily through the SDS. Disability Support Services works individually with students to determine appropriate and reasonable academic accommodations and to ensure that students' academic performance is evaluated apart from the limiting effects of the disability. Services include:
Three workshops and two audio conferences were held during the 2004 academic year with participation by staff and faculty for the purpose of relaying policies, procedures, and guidelines as required under relevant disability laws. Freshman and Transfer Student Orientation Orientation sessions are conducted throughout the summer with abbreviated sessions for transfer students occurring at the beginning of each semester. The focus of these sessions is on the integration of new students into the intellectual, cultural, and social climate of the institution. The Wellness Center The Wellness Center provides UAH students access to health care administered by a nurse practitioner working in a collaborative and consultative relationship with a medical doctor. Students are seen by appointment, Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m.-Noon and 1:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m. For after hour treatment, the Center provides information for walk-in clinics and emergency rooms. For each service visit to the Center, there is a $5 charge. All students currently enrolled for three or more semester hours are eligible for services. Students must present a current valid UAH identification prior to being treated. The Wellness Center provides the following services: treatment of minor illness and injuries such cold, flu, sprains, and strains; preventive health services including physical exams and pap smears; health counseling; and STD, HIV, and pregnancy testing. Total services provided by the Center have increased from 2,147 in the 2000 academic year to 3,445 in the 2003 academic year. The Wellness Center is located in the University Center. International Student Support Services for international students at the University are provided by a variety of offices on campus. Immigration advising is available through the International Student Advisor's Office and the Office of Research Security and Immigration Administration. Students in F-1 status contact an International Student Advisor, who provides current immigration regulations and forms required by US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Research Security and Immigration Administration assists J-1 exchange visitors with information regarding current regulations and forms required by the US Department of State and USCIS. Other Regularly Scheduled Programs Other regularly scheduled workshops are conducted throughout the year that are educational, informative, preventive, and interventive. Programs are designed to educate, equip, and enlighten students, faculty, and staff. Programs through Student Development are designed to assist students in their process of discovering who they are and what they want from their collegiate experiences. Areas include psychosocial, cognitive and structural development, person-environment interaction, and typological phenomena (cognitive styles, temperament, personality types, etc.). Academic Affairs and Advising Several mechanisms support academic achievement. This particular discussion will center on the services available to the students for advising and supporting their academic studies. Services are available to students in the following areas: academic advising, tutorial assistance, other academic support services Academic Advising Testing, often the first step in determining the appropriate level of course placement, is available through the Office of Instructional and Testing Services. Instructional and Testing Services provides tests for admission, credit by examination, deferred final exams, and academic placement. In an effort to place students in courses commensurate with their abilities and backgrounds, placement exams are provided in math, English, chemistry, and English Language for non-native speakers. College Level Exam Program (CLEP) tests are also provided through this office for a variety of subjects. For those students who are not admitted to a particular college, the Academic Advisement and Information Center in the University Center advises students. Undergraduate students admitted to a particular college are advised within that college. Each college has its own method of assigning undergraduate students to advisors. College of Administrative Science Students in the College of Administrative Science meet with an advisor every semester until they are admitted into the upper division of the college. After that, they are assigned to a faculty advisor in their department and encouraged to meet with that faculty member on a periodic basis. The Office of Academic Assistance is located in the Administrative Science Building. College of Engineering Students in the College of Engineering must meet with an advisor every semester. Until they have completed math and science requirements, they are advised in the Office of Engineering Student Affairs. Their file is then transferred to their department where they are assigned an advisor. The Office of Engineering Student Affairs is located in the Engineering Building. College of Liberal Arts Students in the College of Liberal Arts meet with an advisor every semester until a signed program of study is on file. After that, they are assigned to a faculty advisor in their department and encouraged to meet with that faculty member on a periodic basis. The College of Liberal Arts Academic Advisor is located in Morton Hall. College of Nursing Students in the College of Nursing meet with an advisor every semester until they are admitted into the upper division of the college. After that, they are assigned to a faculty advisor and encouraged to meet with that faculty member on a periodic basis. The Office of Nursing Student Affairs is located in the Nursing Building. College of Science Students in the College of Science meet with an advisor every semester until a signed program of study is on file. After that, they are assigned to a faculty advisor in their department and encouraged to meet with that faculty member on a periodic basis. The Science Academic Advisor is located in the Academic Advising and Information Center in the University Center. Prelaw Program Academic counseling for prelaw programs begins with the prelaw advisor, who is usually a faculty member in Liberal Arts. Students are then advised in their respective academic units. Preprofessional Health Programs Students interested in careers in the health professions, including medicine, dentistry, optometry, veterinary medicine, osteopathic medicine, and pharmacy, may be advised by the Preprofessional Advisor and the Preprofessional Advisory Committee. Students majoring in any academic discipline offered by UAH are eligible to participate in the Preprofessional Program. The advising offered by the Preprofessional Advisor and the Preprofessional Advisory Committee is focused on preparation for admission to post-graduate health programs and supplements the normal advising programs offered by the departments in which preprofessional students have majors. School of Graduate Studies Graduate students are assigned an advisor in their departments. Department policies vary as to the specifics of this arrangement. For example, some departments have a particular faculty member assigned to advise graduate students until the student completes certain tasks, i.e., completion of comprehensive or qualifying exams. Other departments assign a student to a particular faculty member based on matches between student desires and faculty member expertise. Tutorial Assistance Students may receive tutorial assistance through the Office of Student Development, through specialized units in each college, or from various clubs and organizations. Assistance is provided based on student demand. The courses usually include: mathematics, foreign languages, English, engineering, computer science, and physics. Students may receive tutoring services in small groups or one-on-one, depending upon availability and demand for services. Tutoring services are also available through each of the colleges. The following provides a partial listing of services available by college. Writing Center The UAH Writing Center, located in Morton Hall, provides free writing consultation to all members of the University community: students, faculty, staff, and administrators. UAH is committed to providing an environment for writers across the curriculum that facilitates intellectual, cultural, personal, and professional growth. The Center's purpose is to help writers become more confident and successful by assisting with analyzing assignments and tasks, addressing audiences appropriately, streamlining composing processes, strengthening focus and organization, and increasing control over language. Students are encouraged to identify their most pressing concerns during consultations. The Center's objective is to help each client better his/her writing skills through peer consultations at any point in the writing process. Peer consulting is also available online. Another objective is to address global issues of planning, organization, focus, structure, explanation, support, and mechanics in individual writing assignments with the goal of familiarizing the writer with his/her own writing process. Consultations are by appointment or online. Ninety-two percent of student users of the Center surveyed over the last four years say that they plan a return visit. The number of virtual consultations (non-synchronous computer submissions) has steadily increased, from 23 in Fall Semester 2003 to 38 in Spring Semester 2004 to 55 during Spring Semester 2005. From 1998 to Spring Semester 2003, the UAH Writing Center carried out a total of 10,670 half-hour consultations. During that same time, the Center had a total of 17,040 available consultations timeslots and 15,956 of those were full, thus 93.6 percent of the available slots were full. Mathematics Learning Center The Mathematics Learning Center, located in the Library, is a computer-assisted classroom. It is staffed with a director and graduate assistants. Workstations in the classroom allow students to use CourseCompass and MyMathLab software to take math courses and receive instruction from the Center's teaching assistants. As a result of the establishment of the Center and other changes, the success-rate in first and second year mathematics courses rose from 69 percent in Spring Semester 2003 to 76 percent in Spring Semester 2005. College of Administrative Science Tutor arrangements are made through the Office of Academic Assistance, located in the Administrative Science Building. College of Engineering The Office of Engineering Student Affairs in the Engineering Building arranges for tutoring in each of engineering disciplines. Schedules are set at the beginning of each semester. College of Liberal Arts Student Development Services funds tutors for many departments in the college. The departments manage the tutoring, usually hiring honors students or graduate students to serve as tutors. College of Nursing In the College of Nursing, tutoring is offered by graduate teaching assistants. Hours vary by semester and are posted throughout the Nursing Building each semester. College of Science Each department in the College of Science has its own student services including tutoring. In some departments, like Biological Sciences, Physics, and Chemistry, tutoring is provided by graduate teaching assistants based on appointments with individual students. Mathematical Sciences runs formal, scheduled workshops for Calculus A&B. School of Graduate Studies The School of Graduate Studies provides a variety of services for its students. These include guides for the master's thesis and PhD dissertation, support for international students, English language courses and testing, and orientation for graduate teaching assistants. Clubs and Honor Societies Students may receive tutoring services is from student members of clubs, honor societies, and other organizations. The following is a partial list of student clubs and organizations that provide tutoring services: Accounting Honor Society (Beta Alpha Psi), Engineering Honor Society (Tau Beta Pi), the Math Club, and the Association of Computing Machinery. Other Academic Support Services There are specialized units within the University and in each college designed to provide an enhanced educational experience and provide assistance beyond the activities typically associated with tutoring resources. These include the Cooperative Education Program, the Honors Program, Multicultural Affairs, and various resource centers within each college. Cooperative Education The UAH Cooperative Education (Co-op) Program provides qualified students an opportunity to enrich their academic endeavors through periods of practical work experience in business, industry, and government. Through this academic program, students enhance classroom education, acquire valuable work experience, mature personally and professionally, and explore career options. Since its inception in 1979, more than 3,300 students have participated in the program. UAH students have consistently been recognized at the University, State, and national levels for their outstanding academic and career achievements. Most students participating in the UAH Co-op Program alternate semesters of full-time study with semesters of full-time, career-related work. While most students work in the Huntsville area, some UAH students enjoy work experiences in various locations throughout the US, as well as the US Army Kwajalein Atoll/Reagan Test Site in the Marshall Islands. Co-op presents a variety of career options for UAH students. Approximately 75 percent of Co-op students are in engineering fields. A listing of Co-op employers can be found at the Co-op website. The Co-op Program is open to all degree-seeking students at the University, both undergraduate and graduate, provided they meet the program's academic requirements. New students can begin working after completing freshman course requirements; transfer students can begin working after completing 12 hours at UAH. All work assignments must be directly related to the student's major and must be meaningful. A three-page work report is prepared by the student every work semester and reviewed by a member of the Co-op professional staff to ensure compliance. Copies are sent to the Dean and appropriate faculty for review. Students in the UAH Co-op Program are almost all employed locally. Therefore, a student with a career/Co-op question has immediate access to professional advice at the University. The UAH Co-op Program conducts a graduating Co-op student survey each year at graduation concerning full-time employment for the Co-op student upon graduation. Although the survey is sanctioned by the University, participation is not mandatory. In the survey covering 2003-2004, 70 percent of the reporting Co-op students had jobs at graduation. 63 percent of these were with the Co-op employer. Career Services The Office of Career Services provides career development help that assists students and graduates of UAH individually in exploring occupational options. It offers guidance and information about employment or admission to graduate school. Career Services provides students valuable resources throughout all aspects of the career development process. The Office of Career Services offers the following:
An Undergraduate Employment and Graduate Education Survey is conducted before the graduation ceremony each spring. The following information comes from May 2004. The total number of undergraduate surveys returned was 423. The number returned for each college or major is listed as N. The number listed as "employed" does not include the number of graduates who are not seeking employment (graduate school, travel, etc.). The table reveals that Career Services has been effective in helping UAH students secure jobs.
Honors Program The UAH Honors Program provides academically talented undergraduate students with opportunities to develop their special talents and skills within an expanded and enriched curriculum. Honors coursework parallels regular offerings and includes special interdisciplinary seminars, and opportunities for independent study and research. Participating students also benefit from the interaction the Honors Program affords with other talented and highly motivated students. To qualify for the Honors Program, first year students must meet the following minimum requirements: high school GPA of 3.5 or greater and minimum test scores on the ACT (Composite, 28; English, 29; or Math, 26) or SAT (Composite, 1200; Verbal, 610; or Math, 590). Enrollment has been increasing; in 2002-2003 there were 84 students in the program, in 2003-2004, 86 students; by 2004-2005 there were 126 students. Credit hour production in the Honors Forum has increased 30 percent each of the last two academic years. Office of Multicultural Affairs The Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) helps the assimilation of minority students into the UAH community. Programs are designed for minority as well as non-minority students in order to promote a sense of community and an acceptance of multiculturalism and racial tolerance. The OMA functions through the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. OMA opened in 1990 and provides annual programs, including
The OMA embraces people of diverse cultures and backgrounds. It promotes cultural respect and cosmopolitanism. Due in part to its programs, black student enrollment at UAH has increased significantly since 1992. Alliance For Minority Participation The Alabama Alliance for Minority Participation (AMP) includes UAH and twelve other colleges and universities whose purpose is to increase substantially the number of minority students completing bachelor's degrees in the sciences, engineering, and mathematics. Sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the UAH AMP program provides undergraduate students with scholarships, tutorial and mentoring support, an academic resource center, and summer research internships. AMP also promotes the attainment of graduate degrees by minority students in the sciences, engineering, and mathematics. The College Going Minorities - Program Launching Undergraduate Success (CGM-PLUS) is supported by a grant from the BellSouth Foundation. The program helps minority students overcome obstacles that could prevent them from completing their undergraduate studies. The program provides a structured mentoring program, seminars, and social activities. CGM-PLUS is administered through the Office of the Provost and is available to undergraduate students in any major. In the first year CGM-PLUS was in operation (2003-2004), the retention rate for first-time full-time freshman minority students increased from 76 percent in 2002-2003 to 85 percent. Other Resource Centers
Other Programs and Services In addition to the services provided by the Offices of Student Development and Academic Affairs, other programs and facilities are in place to enhance the students' learning experience at UAH. Computer Networking and Support Various computer facilities are available to students across the UAH campus. Some of these labs are teaching labs exclusively although a fair number may be used by students during normal operating hours. The University's Computer and Network Services (CNS) is a campus-wide organization, responsible for the operation of the University's administrative computer systems, campus wide email, campus web server, computer repair, help desk, short course technical training, Internet 1 and 2, and the campus fiber network to the face plates in every building. All classrooms, residence hall rooms, labs, and offices on campus have Ethernet connections to the campus network. Through these network connections, if authorized, students, faculty, and staff can access administrative computer systems, web systems, email, Internet 1 and 2 and the Alabama supercomputer. A number of wireless connections are available. The University's CNS, through its help desk, provides students, faculty, and staff with software support, short course training, licensing, along with system and software installation and computer maintenance. In addition, CNS hosts a campus-wide technical staff group to facilitate the dissemination of technical information, and coordinate the operations of the campus network with that of the labs and LANs on campus. M. Louis Salmon Library The M. Louis Salmon Library is housed in a 105,000 square foot facility which includes a state-of-the-art high-tech wing with an Information Arcade, five computer labs including: a math tutorial lab, a liberal arts lab, a nursing lab, and two Library/distance learning labs. Over 250 workstations are supported in the facility. A media/distance learning support center is also housed in the Library. The Library supports the academic and research programs of the University. It has a collection of over 325,000 print volumes, a selective collection of over 500,000 US government publications, and over 600,000 materials in microform and manuscript collections. In addition to books and microform materials, the Library offers a broad selection of books, journals, newspapers and other serials in electronic form. Approximately 15,000 electronic periodicals, over 40,000 electronic books and over 250 databases can be accessed both on and off campus via the Library website. In addition, the University Archives/Special Collections offer a number of unique collections including the papers of former Congressman Robert Jones, the personal Library of Willy Ley, the architectural research collection of Harvie P. Jones, and several space related collections involving such projects as the Saturn V rocket, Skylab, and Apollo-Soyuz. For students in science and engineering, research at UAH is supported by the Redstone Scientific Information Center (RSIC) located five miles from campus. RSIC was developed to support the wide-ranging research interests of NASA and the US Army Missile Command and it is one of the finest technical libraries in the southeast. UAH subscribes to numerous full-text and bibliographical databases each of which supports specific colleges including: Liberal Arts, Nursing, Administrative Science, Engineering, and Science. The Library is privileged to provide access to many major online resources including the entire Elsevier online collection of over 1845 journal titles through Science Direct, the IEEE collection through IEEExplore and the JSTOR (Journal Storage) collection. All materials from the Library are available without charge to UAH faculty members and graduate students by request through the Salmon Library. Reciprocal borrowing agreements are also in force with over 100 academic libraries and particularly with the Network of Alabama Academic Libraries (NAAL). The Library has a contract with the University of Illinois for access to its 10 million books and 100,000 serial titles. The Library is a member of several consortia that provide access to research materials not owned by libraries in north Alabama. Its membership in the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) and the Network of Alabama Academic Libraries (NAAL) facilitates rapid document delivery/interlibrary loan service to faculty and students without charge. Reference services are provided not only electronically through the Library's virtual reference option but also by subject specialist librarians who staff the reference desk. The librarians are able to assist students in finding information in person, by email, or telephone. Group Library instruction sessions are provided to teach students how to locate, manage, and evaluate the information they need for class projects and papers. Other Library services include group study rooms, computers for writing papers, a scanner workstation, a digital audio/video room, special computer accommodations for users with disabilities and support for distance education. A new, user-friendly printing system is available in the Library InfoArcade and labs. Planned for mid-2005 is wireless access for the Library, acquisition of a federated search tool, and an Open URL Link Resolver service. Campus Housing University Housing embraces a living/learning philosophy and seeks five learning outcomes. The first outcome involves programs that have an emphasis on academic success. This may include such topics as developing an "honor roll" for students who have high GPAs, scheduling study breaks during mid-terms and final exams, developing study groups, promoting in-hall activities with faculty members, etc. The other four learning outcomes are leadership (promoting involvement and working with others), respect and character (with the primary emphasis on differences), responsibility and self-sufficiency (with an emphasis on self-awareness), and managing one's environment (community development/interactions). Each of these learning outcomes is intended to help the resident student develop and mature socially, as well as academically. Each resident advisor is required to do at least one program/ activity from each of the five learning outcomes per semester. University Housing sponsors over 200 programs each academic year, several of them combine social and educational offerings. For example, a cook-out is followed by an educational offering, such as a session on time management. Offerings for the 2004 academic year included:
The number of participants and attendees at Housing programs has increased by over 50 percent over the past two years. Additionally, the GPA of on-campus students continues to be on average higher than those living off campus. Finally, the results of Housing's quality of life survey indicate students living on campus are pleased with the program offerings and find them to be diverse, participative, helpful, and entertaining. Fitness Center The University Fitness Center is one of UAH's newest facilities. Since opening its doors in September 2001, the facility has been well utilized by students. This complex provides students, faculty/staff, and community members the opportunity to use three full size gymnasiums, a 70+ piece weight room, two aerobic rooms with classes offered at regular intervals, Cardiovascular Center with over 40 pieces of equipment to choose from, indoor pool with six lanes for swimming and aquatic classes, and scheduling privileges to the UAH racquetball courts and tennis courts. Full-time students (graduate and undergraduate) are automatically members through payment of their student fees at registration. Fraternities and Sororities UAH has four sororities: Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, Delta Zeta, and Kappa Delta. Rush for the National Panhellenic Sororities (Delta Zeta and Kappa Delta) is conducted by the Panhellenic Council every fall. The Panhellenic Council is responsible for promoting scholarship, philanthropy, safety, and most importantly the unification of the Greek community as a whole. Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta Sigma Theta, who are members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), conduct their recruitment independently (these sororities are known as the traditional African American sororities). There are six nationally recognized fraternities chartered on campus: Alpha Tau Omega, Delta Chi, Pi Kappa Alpha, Sigma Nu, Kappa Alpha Psi, and Alpha Phi Alpha. The Interfraternity Council is the overseeing body of Alpha Tau Omega, Delta Chi, Pi Kappa Alpha, and Sigma Nu. Each fraternity has its own officers, committees, and meetings, but the Interfraternity Council provides a way for all of the organizations to come together as a group mind to reach out to potential new Greek members, the school, and the community. Kappa Alpha Psi and Alpha Phi Alpha, members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), conduct their recruitment independently (these fraternities are known as the traditional African American fraternities). Plans are being made to unify the three groups (Panhellenic Council, National Pan-Hellenic Council, and Interfraternity Council) into a Greek Council in the Fall Semester 2005. There are currently plans to build at least five sorority and fraternity houses on campus in the near future and funds are being sought for a sixth house. University Center The University Center houses Auxiliary Services which provides an intellectual, cultural, and social environment to enhance student development and education. The services and programs may be offered by the Center alone but usually in conjunction with student organizations and/or University departments. The facility offers meeting rooms, a dining room and cafeteria, lounges, a game room, TV viewing rooms, information desk, art gallery, and the University Bookstore. Intercollegiate Athletics It is the mission of Intercollegiate Athletics at UAH to facilitate and enrich equitable educational and personal growth opportunities for our students through their participation in UAH's evolving NCAA Division II athletics program. Intercollegiate Athletics is committed to the complete welfare of all student-athletes and advocates an environment that promotes excellence in athletic and academic performance, ethical conduct, sportsmanship, diversity, and equity, regardless of gender and ethnicity. Through full integration into the fabric of the UAH campus community, Intercollegiate Athletics supports the University's mission of teaching, research, and public service, and seeks to generate a unifying spirit among all institutional constituencies, without exception. UAH is a member of the Gulf South Conference and College Hockey America Conferences. UAH offers ice hockey, basketball, baseball, cross country, soccer, tennis, and track and field for men; and basketball, cross country, softball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, and track and field for women. All teams participate in the Gulf South Conference in the NCAA Division II with the exception of the ice hockey team which participates in Division I of the NCAA. UAH publishes the success of its student-athletes on the Scoreboard of Intercollegiate Athletics' website. In the 2004 academic year, 22 UAH athletes earned GSC/CHA academic accolades, while 51 others made the GSC honor roll. In addition, three Chargers were named to academic All-Region/District teams. Nine UAH student-athletes earned recognition as members of Academic All-America teams. Intramural Sports The Intramural Sports Office provides individual and team competition for students, staff, and faculty in a wide range of sports. Emphasis is on participation and enjoyment. Competition, when appropriate, is stratified, so those who wish can challenge themselves. Additionally, through employment as Event Coordinators and referees, students will have an opportunity to learn management skills. Intramural Sports has grown to a high of 15 sports and consistently has over 2000 participants. There has been a push to increase diversity by increasing the number of sports available for women. Currently women's leagues are offered in flag football, sandpit volleyball, tennis, basketball, badminton, and softball. In five other sports, all competition is open to men and women. Student Government Association The Student Government Association (SGA) at UAH provides a forum for free and open expression of student ideas and opinions, serves as a liaison from the students to the University administration, instills a sense of community on campus, and creates an atmosphere conducive to academic achievement. The SGA advocates positive changes at the University, seeking to continually improve student life by voicing student concerns and suggesting courses of action that will better serve the student body and the University as a whole. The SGA focuses the leadership efforts of the student body and provides leadership development training opportunities for all students. Forty students serve as SGA officers, senators, or legislators. The twenty-four legislators represent the students in the five colleges. Exponent The UAH student newspaper is The Exponent. The newspaper has student editors and journalists. It has sections on campus and non-campus news, sports, editorials, letters to the editor, University events and organizations. The Exponent is published throughout the academic year in print and digital copies and is free of charge. Student Clubs and Organizations UAH offers a wide range of co-curricular activities for students. Various clubs and organizations offer both social and educational opportunities for those wishing to get involved. Some of our more popular associations include academic clubs, honor societies, religious organizations, service clubs, and social clubs. General governing policies and procedures are in place that supports the mission of the University. The list of the ninety-two student clubs and organizations chartered by the Student Government Association is published in the UAH Viewbook. Association for Campus Entertainment The Association for Campus Entertainment (ACE) presents student activity programs for UAH through its activity boards. The purpose of ACE is to provide entertainment and to enhance a student's cultural, intellectual, and social life. The ACE also provides students with an informative webpage. The activity boards of ACE are as follows:
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