14 Office of Academic Support (OAS)

The OAS is located on the second floor of Shain Library and provides academic support for all students. The OAS brings together a broad array of staff and services with a single goal: to make sure all students reach their highest academic potential. Professional staff in the center help incorporate best practices for student learning into First year orientation, pre-major advising, fellowship applications, funded internships and other signature experiences of the College. The OAS provides space for collaborative projects, quantitative analysis, research, tutoring and workshops.  The OAS includes the Academic Resource Center, the Roth Writing Center, the Quantitative Center, and Student Accessibility Services. Noel Garrett, Dean of Academic Support and Executive Director of the ARC and the entire OAS staff are eager to work with faculty, and collaborates actively with the Joy Schechtman Mankoff Center for Teaching & Learning.

Accessibility Services 

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, the ADA Amendments Act of 2008, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended, otherwise qualified students with disabilities are legally entitled to receive appropriate and reasonable accommodations that provide them with equal access to educational activities. Disabilities covered include sensory and motor impairments, chronic illnesses, psychiatric disorders, learning disabilities, and attention deficit disorder.

Accommodations can involve many campus functions and require adjustments in one or more of the following areas: residential life, transportation, scheduling, curriculum, classrooms, and coursework. Such adjustments are made in cooperation with various members of the campus community who are responsible for the areas affected. In the case of providing academic accommodations to students, faculty are asked to collaborate in providing modifications that will help to insure equal access to the classroom and coursework for students with disabilities.

In order to be certain that we meet our obligations to students with disabilities, please include the following statement on your course syllabus:

Office of Student Accessibility Services

Connecticut College complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you have a documented disability and have been approved for academic accommodations, please have your Faculty Notification Letter emailed to me through the Student Accessibility online management system (AIM)and schedule a meeting during my office hours as early as possible in the semester so that we can discuss the logistics of your accommodations. If you are not approved for accommodations, but have a disability requiring academic accommodations, or have questions about applying for accommodations, please contact Student Accessibility Services at 860-439-5428 or sas@conncoll.edu.

Students initiate the accommodation process by registering with the Office of Student Accessibility Services and requesting an accommodation. In order to qualify, the student must present adequate documentation of both a disability and the need for the accommodation(s) requested. Letters which list approved accommodations will be given to students who request them for delivery to each faculty member in person. Students are advised to schedule an appointment with faculty in order to discuss the accommodations in a confidential setting and make the necessary logistical arrangements. We hope that this approach will foster responsible self-advocacy among students and encourage them to communicate with faculty early in the semester.

Please contact the Office of Student Accessibility Services to speak with the Director or Student Accessibility Coordinator (Ext. 5428) if you have questions or comments about services to students with disabilities on campus. They are available to discuss your concerns about students with disabilities or suspected disabilities that may be interfering with equal access to learning. More information for faculty, including various accommodations and supports for faculty, can also be found on the Student Accessibility Services webpage at https://www.conncoll.edu/accessibility-services/faculty–staff/.