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1. Disability Resource Center (DRC)

Â鶹ÊÓƵ values access and inclusion for all students. The DRC supports access for students with disabilities by offering a variety of accommodations, resources, and auxiliary aids. Accommodations and other support services are determined through an interactive process to connect students with the best possible access to university activities, services, resources and other Â鶹ÊÓƵ sponsored events. General accommodations available include but not limited to: extended test time, distraction reduced testing environments, note-taking, alternative formats, assistive technology, sign language interpreters, closed captioning, CART or communication access real-time, physical access and priority registration. The DRC also works with students for different types of housing accommodations. Other accommodations may be provided upon request.

To apply and receive accommodations, students must have a documented disability and complete the registration process with the DRC. Once accepted and enrolled at the university, students will first complete an Accommodation Request Form that can be found on the DRC’s website at www.lamar.edu/drc. After submitting the form, students will then need to schedule an intake appointment. Documentation will be needed to establish a disability and should support accommodation requests as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and the "ADA Amendments Act of 2008" including section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Accommodations and adjustments will be determined during the intake appointment based on a student's disability documentation, self-report, past experience with accommodations and any other necessary supporting information.

The DRC is located in the Communication building, suite 105. Students or guests can contact the DRC by calling (409) 880-8347, by fax at (409) 880-2225, by e-mail at drc@lamar.edu or by visiting in person. Additional information is available on the DRC website.

2. Military and Veteran Affairs

The Veterans Affairs (VA) Office assists all students attending Â鶹ÊÓƵ using education benefits through the Active Duty Tuition Assistance Program, VA Educational Assistance Programs, and the Texas Hazlewood Exemption Act.  Our goal is to provide the pertinent information required to all our VA students attending Â鶹ÊÓƵ. 

Qualifying students are encouraged to complete admissions and testing requirements 90 to 120 days prior to the first day of class with applications for educational benefits completed at least 30 to 45 days prior to the first day of class to ensure timely delivery of benefits. 

 Further information may be found by visiting our office in the Wimberly Building, Suite 101, on our website, or by calling (409) 880-7198.

4. University Writing Center

The University Writing Center is an academic support service that provides all students with free face-to-face or online writing consultations. With two locations -  one on the first floor of the Mary and John Gray Library and the other on the first floor of Morris Hall - and staff who are both graduate and undergraduate students, the Writing Center assists students with their writing for any course by guiding students through the entire writing process. The Writing Center provides personalized consulting in the following areas: understanding the assignment, brainstorming, organizing ideas, revising, editing, and interpreting the graded paper. Our writing conferences actively engage students in identifying and addressing their writing needs so that students improve their composition practices and skills and learn to apply them to various writing tasks and purposes. In the interest of academic integrity, consultants neither edit nor in any other way correct students' papers for them. Students may seek assistance with non-academic writing as well, such as graduate school applications and scholarship letters. Our consulting service is beneficial to students of all writing abilities, as any writer can benefit from the collaborative activity of a peer writing conference. To schedule an appointment, students can visit the Writing Center Facebook page at  or the main website at . The Writing Center seeks to encourage scholarly activity across campus and provides both independent and in-class workshops each semester in support of such activity. Both writing centers are equipped with Macs and PCs and assistive technology for student use.

Contact information for students: (409) 880-8571, UWC@lamar.edu.  

Contact information for faculty and staff: (409) 880-8587, jennifer.ravey@lamar.edu.

5. McNair Scholars Program

Location: COMM 106, (409) 880-7582, /mcnair/. The McNair Scholars Program is federally funded by the Department of Education to motivate and prepare first-generation, low-income, and underrepresented students for the rigors of graduate school through involvement in undergraduate research, funded travel to professional conferences, academic workshops, and faculty mentoring. The goal of the program is ultimately to prepare students for success at the doctoral level and increase the number of Ph.D.s from underrepresented groups.

6. Student Tutoring and Retention (STAR) Services

Location: COMM 109, (409) 880-7201, /student-tutoring-and-retention/. STAR Services provides sustained support, guidance, resources, and information to help students achieve their educational and lifelong goals and serves Â鶹ÊÓƵ students through tutoring, academic coaching, peer and professional mentoring, and workshops. Our programs include the Â鶹ÊÓƵ Tutoring Center, Collaborative Learning, Â鶹ÊÓƵ Success, Cardinal Communities, and REDtalks. Please refer to our website for hours of operation and workshop schedules. Contact our office at STARS@lamar.edu for more information.

7. Undergraduate Advising Center

Freshmen and sophomores with fewer than 60 credit hours are advised in the Undergraduate Advising Center (UAC). The UAC supports the mission of Â鶹ÊÓƵ by enhancing student development and success through exemplary service, collaboration, and support in academic advising. The UAC facilitates student success and engagement by advising, enrolling, tracking, and referring students to faculty, departments, support services, and activities. The UAC proactively assesses and responds to student needs as professional advisors meet multiple times each semester to formulate the appropriate plan for student success toward degree completion. 

Students with over 60 credit hours meet with advisors within their academic major.

Additional information about advising can be found at /advising.

Conditional Admission Commitment

Students who do not meet the requirements for “unconditional admission” to Â鶹ÊÓƵ will be considered on an individual approval basis and notified if they are offered conditional admission. All conditionally admitted students will complete a Conditionally Admitted Student Commitment that outlines the requirements to meet in their first and second terms to continue enrollment at Â鶹ÊÓƵ. Â鶹ÊÓƵ is committed to student success and will provide conditionally admitted students dedicated academic support and resources to thrive and achieve their college goals.

8. The Reaud Honors College

The Reaud Honors College integrates academic excellence, community involvement, and civic leadership. The College provides opportunities in academics, campus engagement, residential life, summer projects, and community service, with personal attention paid to the needs, interests, and aspirations of each individual student. Through regular strategic advisement with our students, we explore, refine, and develop their personal goals and assist them in engaging with realistic opportunities in their academic and professional lives such that they may achieve Reaud Honors College Graduate status and further their educational and professional aspirations beyond Â鶹ÊÓƵ.

Incoming freshmen are expected to have an SAT score of at least 1260 (critical reading + mathematics) or above or a ranking in the top 10 percent of their high school graduating class. A composite score of 27 or higher on the ACT can be used as a substitute for the SAT. Students already enrolled at Lamar must have a University GPA of at least 3.5 and at least 12 and no more than 45 academic credits to apply. Honors College students must have a GPA of 3.4 to maintain eligibility. Applications are available in the Reaud Honors College office or may be downloaded from the Â鶹ÊÓƵ web site. Applications may be submitted online at /honors-college/apply-now/index.html. For more information call (409)-880-2294.

The Honors College offers enriched classes in most of the Core Curriculum courses, unique interdisciplinary Honors seminars and topics courses, enhanced courses in many majors, and opportunities for Independent Study and the Honors Thesis, as detailed below. All Honors College students, regardless of major, are encouraged to become Reaud Honors College Graduates through accruing 23 Honors credit hours including the Honors Thesis, or 26 hours (of which 8 hours must be at the upper level) without the thesis. All students must take two Honors seminars or one Honors Topics course. Students also participate in at least one high impact educational practice in the areas of undergraduate research/creative activity, diversity/global learning, internships/cooperative education, or service learning. Reaud Honors College students are eligible for generous financial support through the McMaster Honors Scholarship, the Dr. Donna Birdwell Scholarship, and Grants as well as the Tom Jones Memorial Scholarship.

Within the University’s Core Curriculum, Lamar offers Honors sections in every Core Area as well as opportunities to petition for Honors credit in other courses at the 1000-2000 levels that are required in a significant array of student degree plans. Honors credit involves course assignments in addition to (or different from) the standard course. Students should consult with individual professors or the Honors Dean for details.

3000-4000 level honors credits can be earned in several ways: 1) through upper-level Honors courses and seminars, 2) through Honors Independent Study classes, 3) through adding an Honors Contract to an upper-level class, or 4) through the Honors Thesis. All Honors students take at least two Honors Seminars (HNRS 3161) or one Honors Topics course (HNRS 4364). These unique, interdisciplinary courses are available only to Honors students and enable students to extend their studies beyond the traditional academic disciplines. Honors Independent Study (HNRS 3360) provides the opportunity for students in any major to create a course of study that is not covered in the regular curriculum. Students often use this opportunity for independent research and creative endeavor. The Honors Contract may be used to individually enhance a course in the regular curriculum for Honors credit. Honors Thesis (HNRS 4360 and 4361) permits students aiming at post-baccalaureate degrees to demonstrate clearly the ability to complete a major research/creative project. For all students, it provides the opportunity to pursue in-depth an area of study or research that is personally important or intriguing. Forms and guidelines for both of these options may be secured in the Reaud Honors College office or downloaded from its website.

Honors Student Life

Reaud Honors College students come from all over Texas, the United States, and even the world. They represent all five academic colleges at Â鶹ÊÓƵ (Arts and Sciences, Business, Education and Human Development, Engineering, and Fine Arts and Communication) and pursue a wide array of interests. Honors students are among the most active students on campus; they participate in the full range of student organizations, often serving in leadership roles. For all of their differences, however, Reaud Honors College students are united by the goal of getting more out of college by putting more into it.

The Honors Student Association encourages participation in the cultural life of the campus and community and provides Honors students their own vehicle for organizing events and service activities and getting involved in campus life. The HSA meets monthly, and its elected officers serve as the official Student Advisory Board for the Reaud Honors College. The HSA regularly wins awards as one of the foremost student organizations on campus.

New students will be contacted by an Honors Peer Mentor – usually in their major – who can assist them in preparing for and successfully negotiating the transition from high school (or another College) to Â鶹ÊÓƵ. These seasoned Honors students are committed to making incoming freshmen feel at home in the Lamar Honors community.

Reaud Honors College students are also able to stay in Scholars Tower, the Honors wing of Campbell Hall. For more information about Honors College activities, see /honors-college/.