Campus Life

Dean of Students Office

The Dean of Students Office within the unit of Student Affairs has primary responsibility for student advocacy and support. Stay connected to important events and updates on student life at usm.maine.edu/deanofstudents. The university’s Dean of Students can be a very knowledgeable and helpful resource, including:

• Help you find solutions to various problems (academic, financial, personal);
• Help connect you to people on campus who can assist you in addressing various issues;
• Help connect you with resources on and off campus;
• Help you navigate the Student Conduct Code process and academic policies.

If you are not sure where to go or if the Dean of Students Office is the right place, stop by anyway. Visit us at 188 Upton Hall (Gorham), 207-780-4035 or usmdeanofstudents@maine.edu

Community Standards and Mediation

The office is responsible for administering the Student Conduct Code, through which the office maintains community standards of behavior that support the University’s educational mission, promote students’ academic achievement, and protect the rights of University community members. Violations of state or federal law and/or a University policy or regulation will be addressed through student conduct action and/or action through the appropriate criminal/civil process.

For more information (including a copy of the Student Conduct Code): (207) 780-4035 or visit 188 Upton Hall on the Gorham Campus. For additional information about student policies or a copy of any policy, please visit the University Policies Page.

Diversity and Inclusion

Take advantage of opportunities to celebrate your own identities and to explore the broad diversity of backgrounds, traditions, and points of view that make the USM campuses so vibrant. The work of the programs below are grounded in an understanding and celebration of our diverse community which includes people of all abilities, ages, ethnicities, genders, nationalities, races, religions & spiritual traditions, socioeconomic classes, and sexual orientations.

Intercultural Student Affairs

Intercultural Student Affairs is dedicated to building community and empowering students. We serve as a resource for every student to engage in the rich education and growth found through active exchange across cultures and identities. We facilitate the exploration of critical issues around ability, class, ethnicity, gender identity, nationality, race, religion, sexual orientation, and the intersectionality of these and other identities. We are committed to building a campus community where all students can fully participate and feel valued, in an educational environment that is inclusive and safe.

Student Diversity Centers

Abromson Center, Portland
Upper Brooks Student Center, Gorham
(207) 228-4173

The Student Diversity Centers provide supportive and inclusive spaces for the USM campus community. The Centers serve as catalysts in creating community for students, where cultural activities and celebrations occur, and student organizations meet. Through various programming, the Centers explore critical issues on campus about race, class, ethnicity, nationality, culture, sexual orientation, gender identity, and most importantly, the success of our students. The Centers are open to the entire USM Community. However, they have a unique role with regard to the support of students from historically marginalized communities and cultures. Please visit us in the Abromson Center on the Portland Campus and in Upper Brooks Student Center on the Gorham campus.

LGBTQA+ Community and Resources

Intercultural Student Affairs and the Student Diversity Centers seek to ensure a University environment that is positive, safe, and supportive for members of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. Most specifically, our attention is turned to those identities that fall under the LGBTQA+ umbrella (some examples of these identities: lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, agender, transgender, nonbinary, genderqueer, questioning, and more). The USM Safe Zone Project, a program that conveys an inclusive message to the University community, falls under this umbrella as well. Safe Zone Project volunteers attend a short orientation program and then display a rainbow-striped sticker with the words “Safe Zone USM.” This shows that they are committed to be identified as safe and supportive contacts for LGBTQ+ students, faculty, and staff members.

Religious & Spiritual Life

For more information, contact Intercultural Student Affairs.

The Religious and Spiritual Life Council is an interfaith body made up of ordained Chaplains and lay-people Advisors who volunteer their time to the USM campus community. The Council and its members offer programs and services to support religious and spiritual life in all its expressions. Chaplains and Advisors, sponsored by their respective faith communities, offer services to students and student groups in a wide variety of religious or spiritual traditions and work together to offer programs encouraging spiritual life and interfaith dialogue.

Veterans’ Resource Center

Portland: 39 Exeter St.
Gorham: 104 Bailey Hall
Lewiston: 189 LAC

The Veterans Resource Centers (VRCs) are dedicated lounge and study areas for military-affiliated students to connect and decompress in a comfortable environment. Staffed primarily by work study students who have served, you can get your questions answered by someone who’s been where you are and wants to make it easier for you. You can study, snack, relax, and find support, and while the VRCs are intended to support our military-affiliated students, all are welcome.

On the Portland campus, the VRC is co-located with the Military-Affiliated Student Hub offices. The first floor houses a study room and a community room, and our School Certifying Officials are just upstairs. There’s always a pot of coffee brewing, and it’s free!

Safety and Wellness

Health & Counseling Services

The services offered by UHCS includes:

Health

• Acute/Sick visits
• Annual Exams
• Women’s Health Exams
• Sport Participation Exams
• Medication Management
• Travel Health
• Immunizations
• STD/I Screening
• Health Education
• Smoking Cessation

Health Services - Director, Shelley Coull, PT, DPT

Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP)

For information about the Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP), please contact Student Financial Services at (207) 780-5250, or TTY (207) 780-5646. Online at usm.maine.edu/student-financial-services

For more information about Health & Counseling Services or to schedule an appointment:

Online at usm.maine.edu/university-health-and-counseling-services/.
Gorham: 156 Upton Hall. Call (207) 780-5411, or TTY (207) 780-5646.
Portland: 8 Sullivan Complex. Call (207) 780-5411, or TTY (207) 780-5646.

Counseling

• Individual/Group/Couples Therapy
• Crisis Intervention
• Medication Management
• Mental Health Assessment
• Counseling Education
• Community Consultation
• Outreach

The team at UHCS is made up of licensed clinical professional counselors, psychologists, nurse practitioners, nurses, medical assistants and administrative support staff. They are well versed in college health and mental health and substance use counseling issues and the diversity of representation within the USM community.

Counseling Services - Director, Liza Little, Psy.D, APRN-BC

On-line at usm.maine.edu/university-health-and-counseling-services/.
Gorham: 156 Upton Hall. Call (207) 780-5411, or (TTY (207) 780-5646.
Portland: 105 Payson-smith Hall. Call (207) 780-4050, or TTY (207) 780-5646
LAC: Rm # 133. Call (207) 780-4050, or TTY (207) 780-5646

Recovery Oriented Campus Center (ROCC)

The ROCC is an empowerment-based peer support center that fosters the possibility of personal growth by embracing all pathways to recovery and building connections to the community. On-line at usm.maine.edu/recovery-oriented-campus-center/.

Recreation and Fitness

Gorham Recreation and Fitness

The Gorham Recreation and Fitness Center offers many recreational activities regardless of skill level or previous experience. The fitness facility includes universal machines, free weights, and cardiovascular machines. Group exercise classes, personal fitness consultations, and a variety of other workshops are offered as well.

For more information call (207) 780-5649 or visit 102 Hill Gym on the Gorham campus.

Sullivan Recreation and Fitness Complex

Join us at the Sullivan Recreation and Fitness Complex to reignite your relationship with your health and fitness. Whether you are new to the gym, a current fitness guru, or looking to get back into a routine of exercise, we offer numerous classes and options to help aid you on your way to health and happiness.

Facilities include two fitness centers, saunas, basketball courts, a multipurpose/yoga room, spin room, and ping pong table.

For more information: visit our website (usm.maine.edu/sullivan-complex/), call us at (207) 780-4169, or stop by 104 Sullivan Complex on the Portland campus.

Public Safety

EMERGENCY: call 911 from a campus phone or (207) 780-5211. Non-emergency business: call (207) 780-5211.

To register for USMALERT emergency messages, go to usm.maine.edu/public-safety/sign-up-for-campus-alert/.

Parking Services

Student Engagement

Athletics

Athletics is an exciting part of the overall student experience at the University of Southern Maine. The Huskies compete in the Little East Conference, a nine-member conference composed of public institutions in New England, recognized as one of the most competitive Division III conferences in the nation. The Huskies sponsor 22 intercollegiate sports, 11 for men and 11 for women. Annually, the Huskies qualify several team sports and countless individual performers for national championship competitions. Several USM teams achieve a national ranking each year and qualify for post-season play sponsored by the NCAA, the Little East Conference (LEC), the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) and the New England Wrestling Association (NEWA).

USM student-athletes are supported in their efforts to excel with a strong system of academic support services which includes mandatory study table hours for first year students, developmental advising, regular progress checks with University faculty, and partnerships with Advising, Health & Counseling, the Learning Commons and the Career Hub. 

FMI: (207) 780-5430, http://www.southernmainehuskies.com.

Student Engagement & Leadership

Student Engagement & Leadership seeks to create meaningful connections to the community and link student passions with engagement and leadership opportunities on and off campus in the efforts to prepare them for life after graduation. To grow as a leader on campus, we offer leadership conferences, trainings, and workshops. To ensure there are engagement opportunities for students, we work closely with all the student clubs and organizations, Greek Life, Intramural & Club Sports, and the Student Government Association.

Recreation

The University of Southern Maine’s Recreation programs offers undergraduate and graduate students to actively participate in supportive and inclusive intramural sport leagues, tournaments, and pick-up games that promote wellness, community, and competitive pride. These programs symbolize good sportsmanship and healthy lifestyles by enhancing students’ social and mental well beings while creating memories through teamwork and lasting friendships.

As part of our recreation program, our club sports teams are dedicated to the mission of providing opportunities for students to engage in a variety of activity levels: competitive, recreational, and instructional sport teams. Students are afforded leadership and fellowship opportunities and experiences, as each club is organized, managed, and run by students. The program strives to contribute to the health, well-being, development, and education of the students through involvement in club sports. Each club sport team proudly represents the University of Southern Maine through community involvement, sporting events, competitions, and activities in the state of Maine, the Northeast, and the United States.

Student Centers

Brooks Student Center

The Brooks Student Center serves as the “hub” for student life in Gorham. Whether you want to relax and study, grab a snack, or attend an event, Brooks has something for you. The first floor of Brooks is the home for the Student Engagement & Leadership office; the Husky Hideaway and Convenience store; the UCU DEN (big screen TVs, arcade machines, ping pong, pool, air hockey, and foosball tables); 24/7 access to a University Credit Union (“UCU”) ATM; a staffed UCU branch; and plenty of student meeting and lounge space.  The second floor of Brooks includes the Student Diversity Center and the Gorham Campus Dining Hall.

Student Government Association & Student Clubs & Organizations

The Student Government Association (SGA) at USM is the parent organization that governs all student organizations, campus media organizations, the Student Senate, and beyond. The SGA is led by the Executive Branch and governed by the Student Senate to represent the opinions and viewpoints of all USM students to the administration of USM and the University of Maine System and help formulate positive working relationships between them.

SGA at USM is comprised of the Student Body Presidents Office and the Student Senate as well as our large entities; the Board of Student Organizations, the Student Communications Board, Gorham Campus Activities Board, Commuter Student Association, the Outdoor Adventures Board, and the Leadership Development Board.
 
Student Government exists for you, the students. As an undergraduate student, you pay a “Student Activity Fee” based on the number of credit hours you take here at USM. The SGA is a steward of the fund and is tasked with making sure it is equitably and responsibly distributed to help foster community and to enhance student’s engagement opportunities. Please feel free to reach out to any SGA member or entity for any help. We work for you!
 
For more information: call (207) 228-8200, email usmstudentengagement@maine.edu, or visit usm.maine.edu/student-engagement-leadership, 119 Brooks Student Center, Gorham campus or 216 Abromson Hall, Portland campus.

USM Dining

Dining facilities are located on all three campuses. In Gorham, options include the Residential Restaurant and the Husky Hideaway Snack Bar in the Brooks Student Center, the Ice Arena Kiosk, and the Bailey Hall Café. In Portland, options include the University of Maine School of Law Café, the Library Starbucks, Bento Sushi, the USM Food Truck and the Luther Bonney Café. The Lewiston-Auburn campus features Café- LA. Please note that the location of the University of Maine Law School has changed. The new address is in downtown Portland at 300 Fore Street.

For more information (including hours, menus, and how to purchase a residential, commuter or faculty/staff meal plan) please stop by one of the dining locations listed above or visit usm.sodexomyway.com.

Residential Life

The Office of Residential Life is committed to creating an engaged, respectful and inclusive community. We provide an environment that is safe, well-maintained and sustainable. Residential Life provides a meaningful and intentional learning experience that ensures the exploration of diversity, leadership, and wellness. Accommodations on our Gorham campus are coeducational and offer convenient access to classes and campus events. Portland Commons, the first residence hall on the Portland Campus, will open in Fall 2023.  Students living on campus may choose to apply to live in one of our special interest housing areas or living-learning communities.

For more information: call (207) 780-5240, email usm.reslife@maine.edu, or visit usm.maine.edu/residential-life, 125 Upton Hall, Gorham campus.