The Wellness Center

As a part of LaGuardia Community College’s Health and Wellness Services, the Wellness Center is available for students in need of mental health and/or crisis services. We provide personal guidance and counseling services to help students achieve educational and career goals, learn the process of complex problem solving, and enhance their capacity to develop satisfying interpersonal relationships. Specifically, we provide short-term individual counseling, group counseling, crisis intervention, and workshops on many topics that impact students’ lives (i.e., depression, stress management, anxiety, etc.). Through this work, the Wellness Center assists students in their journey towards overall wellness. The Wellness Center is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. - Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Friday (virtual hours). Please stop by C249 or call (718) 482- 5471 for an appointment. For counseling-related emergencies, please contact ext: 4444.

Academic and Student Social Integration for Success Team (ASSIST):

The ASSIST program is staffed with a team of peer mentors/ coaches and a graduate intern(s). The program is supervised by a trained and licensed counselor. Peer mentors/coaches assist students who experience severe social anxiety, often feel isolated, or have been diagnosed with Autism and/or Asperger’s. The peer mentors/coaches offer an open mind, a listening ear, goal development, and a plan to help each student reach his/her goals. Peer mentors/coaches also help students work on their coping skills with anxiety producing situations by planning events to meet other students coping with these difficulties. The graduate intern(s) provides counseling support to students when needed.

Early Childhood Learning Center Programs: MB09

The Early Childhood Learning Center Programs Inc. (ECLC) is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children. ECLC programs provide child care for children ages 12 months to 12 years, preparing them for the next level of development. ECLC programs are located on campus. The ECLC is a licensed child care facility. We provide a variety of quality educational programs to meet the needs of both the child and student parent. We offer Infant Toddler Care, Preschool, Extended Day, School Age, Saturday, Summer Camp, Holiday Camp and Department of Education free Pre-K for All programs for children of LaGuardia students. ECLC is also a training site for intern teachers to develop hands on knowledge of working in a childcare setting. Our team of professional educators provides a warm and nurturing environment that supports the academic, social, emotional needs of children, families, and teachers.

For more specific information, contact the Early Childhood Learning Center Programs, in room MB09, call (718) 482-5295, email childcare@lagcc.cuny.edu or visit our website: www.laguardia.edu/eclc.

Health Services: MB40

(718) 482-5280

E-mail: Health-Center@lagcc.cuny.edu

The Health Services Center offers a variety of free, quality health care and health education services to you and the entire college community. The Health Center works to minimize your health problems and risks, helping you attain their academic goals. The Center’s staff aims to improve lives through preventive education by collaborating with on campus and off-campus resources.

The Center coordinates the college’s immunization program, which includes Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Hepatitis B, and Influenza vaccines. It disseminates information about meningitis, facilitates medical leaves of absence, monitors over the-counter medication, and provides blood pressure and glucose monitoring. The Staff also coordinates on-campus health fairs and manages a comprehensive HIV\STI prevention education program titled “Health Education Learning Project and Services” (HELPS). If you are without medical insurance, you are encouraged to visit Room MB40 for assistance in obtaining low-cost or no cost health insurance. The Registered Nurse, Paramedic and the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) provide medical treatment during emergencies within the college.

Library Media Resources Center: E101, (718) 482-5426

In this increasingly complex world, every LaGuardia student requires access to dynamic, up-to-date information and data. LaGuardia’s Library provides quick, easy, and efficient access to print books, electronic books, traditional media, streaming media, and periodical articles, available both in person and via the Library’s website at library.laguardia.edu. The Library’s subscription database offerings include all formats of academic and popular information: encyclopedias, magazines, newspapers, peer-reviewed journals, primary source materials, videos, and books. All electronic resources can be accessed from off campus with either the student’s My LaGuardia credential, or faculty/staff email ID. A team of faculty librarians and several key support staff members collaborate to connect users to the Library’s vast resources for research and educational development.

The entire collection supports LaGuardia’s curricular needs. The Library offers a book collection of almost 100,000 volumes and provides access to over a half-million ebooks. Holdings include textbooks, assigned course readings, career information, and study aids. The Library also subscribes to over 500 current print periodicals, including magazines and newspapers. Electronically, the Library has access to over 100,000 periodical titles. The physical media collection includes over 6,000 titles and, thanks to streaming technology, the Library can provide access to over 200,000 video titles. Viewing and listening stations are available in the Media Lab. Special workstations are available for students with disabilities. The Library’s College Archives houses important documents related to the governance of the College and its history, for example, Board of Trustee materials, union agreements, the College budget, the student newspaper, and yearbooks. 

The Library also loans laptops, iPads, and calculators to students. The second floor of the Library features eleven group study rooms which students can reserve online. The rooms allow students to collaborate, and to use in-room technology such as large monitors, if their work requires it.

The LaGuardia community has access to the Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service, which allows patrons to borrow items not held in the LaGuardia collection from institutions outside of CUNY. Faculty and staff can use ILL to borrow books and articles, while students can use it to borrow articles. The LaGuardia community can also have books from other CUNY campuses sent to LaGuardia via the CUNY Libraries Inter-Campus Service (CLICS).

Library faculty provide one-on-one instruction at the Reference Desk and teach information-gathering skills through the Library’s instruction program. Library instruction is embedded in ENG101, each section of which has a one-hour Library class. Library instruction is also embedded in the First Year Seminars, all of which have a Library instruction component. The Library also offers credit classes: Internet Research Strategies (LRC 103) is a one-credit course offered both face-to-face and fully online, and addresses web searching and the critical evaluation of web resources. InfoCity: Informed Citizens in the Information Age (LBN 105) is a three-credit Liberal Arts and Urban Studies course that is part of the Pathways Individual and Society Flexible Common Core. Information Strategies: Managing the Revolution (LRC 102), another three-credit course, is an in-depth exploration of research methods and the critical evaluation of contemporary information sources.

All members of the LaGuardia community are encouraged to use the Library. A validated, bar-coded LaGuardia ID serves as a library card for LaGuardia’s Library and other CUNY libraries. The Library is open each day of the week except designated holidays. Library hours are posted each month at the entrance door and on the Library’s website. For additional information, please call the circulation desk at (718) 482-5426 or visit the Library’s website: library.laguardia.edu.

Office for Students with Disabilities: M102

The Office for Students with Disabilities provides specialized services for disabled students. Under Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, LaGuardia Community College has an implicit responsibility to ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to its programs and services, and that the rights of students with disabilities are not denied. OSD provides advocacy to ensure access to all college programs and facilities and facilitates the transition to college life for student with disabilities. All students are required to register with supporting documentation.

Appropriate accommodations and services are determined and may include academic, career and personal counseling, academic advisement and registration and other support services such as readers, note takers, tutors and proctoring of exams for students. We encourage all students with disabilities to self-identify in order to take advantage of these services.

If you are a student with a disability requiring an accommodation to gain access to a program or service or feel that your rights as a student with a disability are being denied, please call (718) 482- 5279. Counselors are available to assist all students with their needs. The Office is open Mondays - Thursdays until 8:00 p.m. and Fridays until 5:00 p.m.

Office of International Student Services: B117

The Office of International Student Services provides cross- cultural and Immigration counseling to students in F-1 Status attending LaGuardia Community College. The office is required by federal law to keep extensive records of students in F-1 status and to adhere to federally mandated regulations in assisting and advising students.

All students in F-1 status, at LaGuardia Community College, are required to report to the International Student Services Office in order to maintain such records. The office has general responsibility for the adjustment to college life of students from outside the U.S. Services include orientation to life in U.S., F-1 status advisement, full time student status verifications, housing and health insurance information. Please call (718) 482-5145 or visit room B 117 for more information.

Transfer Services: B215

Transfer Services engages, educates and empowers students to make informed decisions about the transfer process and the opportunities available when transferring to 4-Year colleges, including the City University of New York (CUNY), the State University of New York (SUNY), and any other public, private and/or Ivy League institution.

Transfer Services’ staff provide resources, tools, and support to guide the successful transfer, transition, persistence, and graduation of transfer students. The Transfer Services team empowers students by facilitating the college research processes, connecting students with 4-Year college representatives, providing students with access to on-site credit evaluations, helping students to understand the 4 Year college application and admission requirements, assisting with Admission appeals as well as the availability of potential scholarships.

Transfer Services engages students and the college community by hosting and collaborating with partners on traditional semester events, and co-curricular activities. Students are encouraged to visit our website. www.laguardia.edu/transferservices, email transfer@lagcc.cuny.edu or go to My LaGuardia to schedule an appointment.

Veterans Resource Center: C371

The Veterans Resource Center provides a full range of counseling services for the veteran population. The Veterans Director provides information regarding all of the benefits available to students and assists with any other problems encountered while attending the College.

The Program for Deaf Adults (PDA): C203

Under the Program for Deaf Adults, students who are deaf or hard of hearing are provided with support services. These services include academic advisement, registration assistance, interpreters, testing, accommodation, tutoring and note-taking. Please contact the Program for Deaf Adults, C203, or call (718) 482-5325 (TTY) or (718) 482-5324 (voice).

Student Advocate/Ombuds Officer: C317

LaGuardia Community College’s Student Advocate/Ombuds Officer offers a confidential, neutral resource for students to receive assistance, voice concerns and complaints. The Student Advocate/Ombuds Officer serves as a mediator who strives to address issues and facilitates communication and resolution in a fair and equitable manner.

The College Ombuds Officer provides information about LaGuardia Community College’s policies, procedures, services, rights and responsibilities. Also, visit the Student Complaint Resolution webpage: www.laguardia.edu/Admissions/Student-Complaint-Resolution/.

The Ombudsperson receives and suggests modifications to the institution based on students’ concerns. When trends are observed, or an incident occurs more than three times in a semester, the Ombudsperson makes recommendations for improvement to the appropriate Chair, Dean or Director and the VP of Student Affairs is copied. The Ombudsperson shares trend data about student complaints monthly with the Student Affairs Leadership Team and makes presentations to departments and offices, as needed. With regard to trends in academic complaints, the Ombudsperson will advise the VP of Student Affairs and his/ her designee will contact Academic Affairs directly regarding the issues observed.

The Student Advocate/Ombuds Officer will assist in resolving issues and concerns.

• Serve as an impartial advocate for fair and equitable resolution to problems

• Analyze, conduct impartial investigations and resolve problems

• Offer information about the College’s policies and procedures

• Present a range of options for resolving problems

• Facilitate communication, use shuttle diplomacy, and mediate disputes.

• Foster equity, fairness, pluralism and institutional values.

• Assess student needs and refer to appropriate services

• Maintain confidentiality and follow-up to ensure students’ success

• Adhere to professionalism, ethics and responsibility

• Make recommendations for institutional improvement

Any student seeking advice can use the services of the Student Advocate/Ombuds Officer.

LaGuardia’s Student Advocate/Ombuds Officer is Luke Cardaio, located in C-317.

He can be reached via E-mail at ombudsman@lagcc.cuny.edu or by phone at (718) 482-6072. Office Hours: Monday through Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Additional evening hours available by appointment.