Student Services

Student Accessibility Services

Student Accessibility Services serves as a resource and an advocate for students with disabilities. The department coordinates a variety of accommodations and services, which are determined on an individual basis, and must be supported by current documentation. Student Accessibility Services works collaboratively to promote academic, social, and physical access in order to provide equal educational opportunities.

• To receive services, students must inform Student Accessibility Services that they have, or suspect they have, a disability. They must also complete an intake packet and provide supporting documentation.
• Potential students are recommended to contact the office at least one semester prior to attending. This allows time for a review of documentation, and prevents a delay in the provision of certain accommodations, such as textbooks in an alternate format.
• All student information is maintained securely and confidentially. Categories of disability and examples of accommodations are available on the Student Accessibility Services website.

Students should contact Student Accessibility Services on either the Dahlonega, Gainesville, or Oconee campus with any questions or concerns regarding accommodations, required documentation, and available resources and support.  Students on the Cumming campus should contact Student Accessibility Services on either the Dahlonega or Gainesville campus for assistance.

The University of North Georgia (UNG) is committed to the inclusion of individuals with disabilities, and to the principle of individual rights and responsibilities. To that end, the policies and procedures of UNG are designed to ensure full compliance with all pertinent federal and state legislation, specifically to include Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.

Any student who believes that he or she has experienced discrimination on the basis of a disability can find the ADA Grievance Procedure on the Student Accessibility Services website.

Testing

The University of North Georgia is a member of the National College Testing Association (NCTA) and the Consortium of College Testing Centers (CCTC). The following testing programs are administered at one or more of the university’s campuses.

For information regarding one or more of these tests, please contact the appropriate campus or visit UNG’s Testing website www.ung.edu/testing.

Blue Ridge Campus

Students interested in testing on the Blue Ridge Campus may call 706-864-1799 or visit www.ung.edu/testing.

Cumming Campus

Students interested in testing on the Blue Ridge Campus may call 706-84-1799 or visit www.ung.edu/testing.

Dahlonega Campus

Students interested in taking the Institutional SAT, CLEP, DSST, COMPASS, TEAS, HOBET, or MAT on the Dahlonega Campus may call 706-864-1799 or visit www.ung.edu/testing for additional information. Online registration is available for some of these tests. Otherwise, appointments may be made through the Testing Office or test client website.

Students pursuing a four year degree can earn a maximum of 45 credit hours by examination, which includes CLEP, DSST, AP, and departmental exams. CLEP Exams provide a student the opportunity to shorten the time it takes to earn a degree by demonstrating acquired content knowledge of various college courses.

January 2012, the Dahlonega Campus became a member of Prometric, the leading global provider of comprehensive testing and assessment services. An example of exams offered through Prometric are the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA), the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators (GACE), and Microsoft certifications. Contact www.prometric.com for appointments.

Students may also take the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) through our Pearson VUE campus test site. Contact www.pearsonvue.com for appointments.

Gainesville Campus

Students interested in testing on the Gainesville Campus may call 678-717-3863 or visit www.ung.edu/testing.

Oconee Campus

Students interested in testing on the Oconee Campus may call 706-310-6308 or visit www.ung.edu/testing.

Student Information

Free Speech Policy

As an academic community, the University of North Georgia is an open marketplace of ideas, including openness to discussing multiple perspectives on various issues, sometimes referred to as intellectual diversity. UNG is also guided by appropriate state and federal laws and regulations. While not an exclusive list, examples of applicable laws and regulations include Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA); the Georgia Open Meetings and Open Meetings and Open Records Laws; and the Constitutions of Georgia and the United States. The “free speech” rights of students, faculty members, and staff members are guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States of America. These rights are recognized by UNG along with its responsibility to provide an environment in which it can carry out its stated mission.

UNG reserves its right and responsibility to restrict the time, place, and manner of speech and other expression in order to carry out its stated mission. Students should reference the UNG Code of Conduct and other policies found in the Student Handbook. Faculty and staff members should reference appropriate sections of employee handbooks. Others beyond the University Community should pursue a free speech permit request outlined in the public forum policy below.

Public Forum Policy

Anyone who desires to speak at an UNG campus may reserve designated public forum areas through the Dean of Students office. The first priority for use of the public forum areas will be given to student, academic, or administrative functions at the University. In order to avoid conflicts in scheduling, reservations for the public forum area are encouraged at least 48 hours in advance and must be made through the Dean of Students office at each UNG campus. Those who want to speak at a UNG campus and are not members of the UNG community must request and file a free speech permit with the Dean of Students office.

Religious Holidays

It is the policy of the University of North Georgia to respect the religious beliefs of the members of the UNG community while not promoting the beliefs of any religion. As such, no student shall be penalized for failure to participate in a given activity (class attendance, registration, quiz, exam, etc.) that occurs on a documented religious holiday, when to do so would be a violation of the creed of that particular faith. A student should be allowed to register for classes or take a test or examination without penalty, at a time when that activity would not violate the student’s religious creed. Such requests should be made, in advance, directly to the person responsible for administering the activity. Assignment due dates should not be affected by this policy unless the time to complete the assignment is less than three times the length of the holiday in question (i.e., three days to complete an assignment when one of those days is the holiday in question).

Reasonable common sense, sound judgment, and the pursuit of mutual goodwill should result in the positive resolution of scheduling conflicts. The regular campus appeals process applies if a mutually satisfactory arrangement cannot be achieved.

Support for Online/Hybrid Learners

Online courses are entirely accessed by your computer, with an Internet connection. Course work is conducted through electronic forums, discussion groups, external resources, quizzes, virtual rooms, and online submitted assignments. Aiding in your success you are given an email account, web collaboration tools, and personal storage space networked drive accessible both on campus and through the university’s virtual private network. Hybrid courses include both the traditional classroom setting and the online environment.

UNG provides a variety of academic support services online and through UNG’s websites. Online student services include: Academic Advising, Career Services, Counseling & Psychological Services, Distance Education & Technology Integration, Financial Aid, Information Technology Services, Learning Support, Multicultural Services, Online Library Services, Student Success Program, Testing Office, Tutoring, Student Disability Resources, and Student Life Services.