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New to USM: Student Guide

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New to USM? Here's your guide to make the experience more successful!

Getting a USM ID Card - a must read! Registration Instructions
Activating your USM ID Card and Using the Computer Labs Taking Classes
Accessing the Library Course Advising
Photocopying or Printing from a Computer Academic Records
Using your Student ID and Password Certificate Programs
Accessing your BlackBoard Account Student Services
Getting a Parking Permit Useful Phone Numbers and Websites

Here's a PDF version!

Getting a USM ID Card
Getting your USM CARD is easy, quick . . . and necessary

  • Stop by the Campus Card Office, Upton Hall, Gorham or Telecommunications
    4 Payson Smith, Portland. Open Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 4:30 pm., extended hours during first week of semester
  • Provide identification (license, passport)
  • Complete a form
  • Have your photo taken. Your card will be ready in minutes.

Why do I need a card? This is your official USM ID and you will need it to use USM computers, libraries, and other resources.
www.usm.maine.edu/usmcard

Activating your USM ID Card and using the computer labs
After getting your USM ID card, bring your ID to the Computer Lab to activate your UNET account. Computer Labs that can activate your account are located at: Luther Bonney Hall in Portland; Bailey Hall in Gorham; and Computer Lab at Lewiston-Auburn.
Why do I need to activate my ID and get a UNET Account?
Activating your USM ID Card enables you to access to

  • computers in the computer lab, library, and classrooms
  • library resources
  • print from a computer and make copies
  • Blackboard and Course Reserves
  • on-campus wireless service
  • USM resources from off-campus

The Computer labs have PC and Mac computers and printers.
www.usm.maine.edu/computing

Accessing the library
USM ID cards have a library barcode on the front. This number is usually in small red print below the barcode. It begins with “25022…” You need to activate it by visiting the circulation counter at any of the USM libraries. Activating your card will allow you to:

  • check out materials
  • search the online databases or access reserve materials from off-campus
  • use interlibrary loan (see below)
  • print (4¢/page) and photocopy (7¢/page)

Librarians are available in multiple formats: By phone: Gorham 207-780-5344; Portland 780-4272; Lewiston-Auburn 753-6540. From the webpage, they can be contacted by e-mail and sometimes live chat. Students can make an appointment with a reference librarian or visit in person. Hours and much more information is available on the library webpage. http://library.usm.maine.edu/

It is free and easy to create an inter-library loan account (ILLIAD) and will enable you to borrow books and have journal articles emailed from other libraries.
See Library Services for Students: http://library.usm.maine.edu/services/forstudents.html

Photocopying or printing from a computer
Photocopying and printing is easy if you have “Husky Bucks” on your USM ID Card. You can add value (money) to your card by using the card machines at the Portland or Gorham libraries or online at: www.usm.maine.edu/usmcard/funds.htm

Using your student ID and password
When you enroll in a class, you are assigned a student identification number. This number is not the same as your Social Security number. This number is used in a variety of settings: to login at the computer labs, to check your grades, register for classes using MaineStreet or financial aid tracking.

You also are assigned a personal identification number (PIN) at the same time. Your PIN number is initially your 6-digit [mmddyy] date of birth. The first time that you use MaineStreet to register for classes or check your grades, for example, you will be required to change your PIN. If you change your PIN and for some reason it won't work, you will need to contact the Registrar’s office at 780-5230 to have it reset. They cannot tell you what the number is, but can reset it to the default (6-digit date of birth).

Accessing your BlackBoard account
Computing services has a great online guide on how to use BlackBoard. The link is http://www.usm.maine.edu/computing/resources/blackboard/bb5_guide.jsp
But here are some quick tips:

  • Your UserName is the same as your University e-mail name (the part of your
    e-mail address before the "@"). (For example: if your e-mail address is
    John.Jones@maine.edu, your e-mail name is John.Jones).
  • If you don't have a University e-mail account, one will be set up for you within 24 hours after you register for a course that uses Blackboard and automatically entered into Blackboard. New e-mail accounts/UserNames are set up with this convention: Firstname.Lastname, eliminating any hyphens, apostrophes, and periods in your last name.

Having trouble accessing BlackBoard? Call 1-800-696-4357 (HELP) or techsupport@maine.edu USM Computing Services provides useful technical information and instruction at http://www.usm.maine.edu/computing/

Getting a parking permit
You’ve already paid for a parking permit through your student fees, you just need to pick it up! Parking permits can be picked up at the USM Police Department in Upton Hall, Gorham or at the USM Police Department 46 Bedford St., Portland. Hours are 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday, extended hours during first week of semester. You will need a copy of your vehicle registration. http://www.usm.maine.edu/police/parking.htm

For a parking permit by mail, go to http://www.usm.maine.edu/police/pdf/parking_student.pdf
and follow the instructions.

Taking Classes as a Non-Degree Student
Most of our graduate programs allow non-degree students to get started by taking one or two introductory level courses before being formally admitted to a degree program. For some individuals, this provides an opportunity to explore our various programs more fully before deciding which is best suited to their goals. Others take advantage of this policy as a way to make progress toward a degree while they are in the process of putting together an application for admission. In either case, students can apply up to six (6) credits of coursework completed under non-matriculated student status, provided the following:

  1. The student must apply for admission and be accepted into a degree program; successful completion of courses under non-matriculated status does not guarantee acceptance
  2. The course must be a requirement for the graduate program and remain in effect for the semester of application for admission. Discontinued courses, and those that are required for programs other than the one for which admission is sought, will not apply.
  3. Courses must be less than three years old, and must be completed with a grade of “B” (3.0) or better.

The Application for Graduate Admission form contains a section where you can request that courses completed as a non-matriculated student be applied toward your degree; please be sure to complete this section when you apply for admission. If you have completed courses at another institution and intend to request transfer credit, be sure to choose USM courses which do not have similar content.

Course Advising
Each program has certain courses that are open to non-matriculated students. Due to course size limitations and accreditation standards, many courses are restricted to students who are enrolled in our programs and have met the necessary course prerequisites. Each program maintains a list of courses that are recommended for non-matriculated students on its web site:

ETEP courses are not open to non-matriculated students. Prospective ETEP students who wish to take courses should focus on meeting the academic prerequisites for their intended teacher certification area; these Maine state requirements are listed in the ETEP Application Handbook.

Registration Instructions

  • Spring 2009 Registration Instructions

Academic Records
As a non-matriculated student, your academic records are kept by the University's Registrar. The Registrar does not automatically mail out printed grade reports at the end of each semester. To access your grades and academic records, you will use MaineStreet. You will need your student ID number and your PIN. MaineStreet allows you to:

  • Register for Courses
  • Review and Print your Current Schedule
  • Get your Grades

Certificate Programs
The College offers a few certificate programs for those who have completed a bachelor’s degree. You must apply and be admitted to these programs, though your status remains as a non-matriculated student (C.A.S. students are matriculated). For you, as a certificate program student, to register for the courses you need before open registration begins, you need to call the program office to register. Contact the program office of the certificate program you are interested in for application information.

Student Services
As a non-matriculated student, you are eligible to receive many of the same services as matriculated students. The most notable exception to this is that non-matriculated students are generally ineligible to receive financial aid, including loans, scholarships, and graduate assistantships.

Useful USM websites and phone numbers

 

REV 11/2008