Student Services
The university provides a number of services to students. Among these are the various student activities, library privileges, and student publications. Student activities include intercollegiate athletic contests, productions of the Van Ellis Theater, various on-campus activities, intramurals and club sports, lectures, student organizations (including Greek), and student publications which include the Brand, a student newspaper, and the Corral, an annual magazine. Please see our website for a comprehensive list of Student Services: http://www.hsutx.edu/student-life/ Some of the more notable areas are described in further detail below:
Student Engagement
At HSU, our Student Engagement office plans and implements many activities for campus clubs and organizations as well as for all current and prospective HSU students! Not only are there events consistently occurring throughout campus, but there are several student-planning groups that develop and use student leaders and their talents.
Outside of campus events, HSU also has a thriving Greek Life as well as several other clubs and/or organizations that tie to academics, athletics, or special interests. This atmosphere of potential opportunities for involvement demonstrates HSU’s commitment to an inclusive environment and to the provision of co-curricular leadership opportunities for students.
Intramurals and Recreation
Intramurals and Recreation are intended for the entire HSU Community and primarily afford an opportunity for experiential learning through active participation. We serve to cultivate lifetime recreational skills, to integrate students socially in an activity setting, and to foster a spirit of sportsmanship and fair play among participants and spectators. Intramurals and Recreation offers a variety of opportunities for individuals of all abilities. Individuals and organizations participating in Intramurals and Recreation should do so with the attitude that good sportsmanship and fair play are an integral part of the activity.
Campus Ministry
Baptist Student Ministries is housed in the Connally Missions Center on campus. The BSM is staffed by a director and an office manager. The mission of the BSM is to minister to the spiritual needs of the students of Hardin-Simmons University. The BSM seeks to provide a context for spiritual engagement, formation, and renewal with the hope that all HSU students might have a fully developed relationship with Jesus Christ. The BSM provides both on-campus and off-campus ministry opportunities along with local, regional, and international mission experiences. In addition to these, the BSM provides regular spiritual formation experiences. The BSM also helps connect students with local faith communities in Abilene. A student volunteer leadership team organizes and carries out the ministries of the BSM with the guidance of the BSM director.
Career Services
The office of Career Services provides current students and alumni with career development opportunities beginning their first year at Hardin-Simmons University. Career Services offers a wide variety of workshops, events, and services to promote career readiness. Workshops and events range from Job Search Strategies workshops to events such as job fairs and networking events with alumni. Services offered include resume review, interview practice, and a host of assessments. Administration and interpretation of assessments are given to provide students opportunities to develop a career plan. Additionally, access to an online job board, Handshake, is provided to students and alumni to search for part-time jobs, full-time employment, and internships. Educational programs related to career readiness are presented to courses over the course of the academic year on almost a weekly basis. The office is staffed with a full-time director and a graduate intern. The Career Services Office is located on the second floor of Moody Center.
Athletics
The athletic department has over 400 students participating with 18 varsity athletic teams that are in the American Southwest Conference as a member of NCAA Division III. The ASC has members in Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi and Louisiana and is one of the largest conferences in Division III. The college experience is a time of learning and growth – a chance to follow passions and develop potential. For student-athletes in Division III, this happens most importantly in the classroom and through earning an academic degree. The Division III experience provides for passionate participation in a competitive athletics environment, where student-athletes push themselves to excellence and build upon their academic success with new challenges and life skills. Academics has always been a priority for the student-athlete at HSU. For the fall, 2020 semester, 64% of the athletes had a grade point average of a 3.0 or higher. The cumulative grade point average for our student-athletes was a 3.15 which marked the seventh consecutive semester that our student-athlete GPA has been over a 3.0. Ten of our sixteen teams had a team GPA over a 3.0 with softball having the highest team GPA with a 3.71. Over the years, HSU has enjoyed tremendous success in the athletic arena as the school has eight National Championships and has won over 140 conference championships.
Disability Services
Hardin-Simmons University is committed to providing equal access for all students to all educational programs and campus activities. This commitment to all students includes those who take courses online or via affiliated distance education programs. The Office of Disability Services recognizes disability as a valued aspect of diversity and embraces access as an opportunity for hospitality, equity, and social justice. The office works to create inclusive and sustainable learning and engagement through universally designed environments and to facilitate access, discourse, collaboration, training, and innovative programming. For the development of an access plan (accommodations) because of a diagnosed disability, please visit the Office for Students with Disabilities online or contact us at (325) 670- 5842.
Counseling
The Office of Counseling Services is staffed by a full-time Licensed Professional Counselors and contract counselors which serve the entire student body at HSU. All full or part-time students are eligible to receive free, confidential, and voluntary services, including consultation, evaluation, psychotherapy, and crisis support services as needed.
The Office of Counseling Services is available for on-call crisis assessments and assists in the facilitation of hospitalization of students in the most severe mental health distress, as well as the follow-up needed to re-enter the campus community. Additionally, the office is able to provide referrals for off-campus psychiatric and counseling services.
The University Counselor serves as the Chief Mental Health Officer for the University, and consults for the HSU Care Team to best provide wrap-around support to the most at-risk students. This Office can be found on the second floor of the Moody Student Center.
Student Success
The office of Student Success aims to assist students on a path towards student success at Hardin-Simmons University. The Office efforts are focused on academic support, mentoring and retention initiatives, and other student-support events. Academic Support aims to provide both free peer-to-peer tutoring for undergraduate students as well as mentoring opportunities for all students. The retention events for undergraduates are designed as checkpoints for students through their journey at HSU towards graduation. Student Success also utilizes software called Beacon to assist in the connecting with current HSU students for retention and persistence endeavors.
Campus Police
Hardin-Simmons University Police operates to ensure a safe and secure environment on the University campus. The HSU Police offer a variety of services to our students. During Stampede students may pick up their parking decals. Escorts are provided from dusk to dawn for the safety of anyone walking on campus at night. The officer will escort students to any on-campus parking area or building, including residence halls. The Police will unlock or jump start vehicles on campus. Campus police offer scheduled auto-checks during the year for students' safety while traveling off campus. Campus police will also assist in any Law Enforcement matters, or answer any Law Enforcement questions. Campus police will assist in any traffic accidents on campus. The Police office can be found in Compere Hall.
Title IX
HSU does not tolerate conduct that fosters any form of harassment. Sexual misconduct is harmful not only to the individuals involved, but undermines the values of the entire community. HSU has a Sexual Misconduct Policy that addresses all areas of sexual misconduct. This policy also provides resources and procedures for addressing misconduct. Violations of policy are regarded as serious offenses of trust and integrity and will result in disciplinary action.
The Title IX Coordinator oversees the Sexual Misconduct Policy as well as compliance with Title IX. As such, the Title IX Coordinator facilitates and educates the campus community on how to promote and maintain a healthy and safe environment at HSU. The Coordinator is also responsible for the prompt, equitable, and impartial investigation of all alleged Title IX violations. The Title IX Coordinator strives to keep students’ safety as the highest priority.
Students can report instances of sexual misconduct to the Title IX Coordinator on the second floor of the Moody Student Center. Additionally, students can report anonymously through reporting called STOPit which can be found on the HSU website.
Office of Global Engagement
The Office of Global Engagement (GE) provides international student services to meet the needs of our international students and to promote their successful transition to the U.S. and to HSU. Our staff understands that the transition to college in an international country can create all types of questions and present a variety of needs that require different forms of support.
In addition to supporting the arrival, orientation, and acclimation of all new international students to HSU, the GE office also provides international student advising, immigration services, limited transportation support, and student health insurance services for our international students. Our staff loves international students and we want to help them succeed in their journey in becoming biblically rooted, academically prepared, and globally minded with intercultural and leadership skills.
The GE office is located in the Connally Missions Center and our staff is available Monday and Tuesday 8:00AM to 6:00PM and Wednesday through Friday 8:00AM to 5:00PM. In order to serve international students well, immigration advising, and other advising services are encouraged through appointment only.