Student Services

The Center for Health & Wellness on each campus provides programs, activities, events, and resources that support all components of personal wellness, including physical, emotional, intellectual, environmental, financial, occupational, spiritual, and social aspects.  The Center also ensures compliance with Massachusetts State law, which requires all full-time (12 credits or more) students to submit a Massachusetts Required Immunization History Form. Referrals to off-campus, low-cost vaccine clinics are available here.

Fitness and Recreation - Located in the Bedford Campus Center, the Bedford Fitness Center is a free facility available to all MCC students, faculty and staff, offering free weights, weight-training machines, cardiovascular machines, and lockers/showers.  Middlesex students are also invited to purchase discounted memberships to the UMass Lowell Recreation Center, a state-of-the-art facility located at 100 Pawtucket St. in Lowell.  Memberships are offered at a discounted rate and entitle students to full use of all weight-training equipment, free weights, a wide variety of cardio equipment, indoor track, basketball courts, studio space, sauna and a variety of courts.  We also offer exciting recreational events through the year, including rock climbing, kayaking, snowboarding, hiking, laser tag, and whitewater rafting.

Sports Teams - MCC students are encouraged to participate in one of MCC’s athletic opportunities including intramural or club teams. Our intramural teams participate in the UMass Lowell intramurals program, playing soccer, lacrosse, softball, flag football, basketball, ice hockey, and volleyball.  Ice hockey is also offered as a competitive club sport and competes against other area colleges.   Contact sports@middlesex.mass.edu for more information.

Group Exercise and Training - Various fitness classes are offered at both campuses throughout the year, depending on participants’ interests. Examples of classes recently offered include: YOGA, Meditation, Circuit Training, and Indoor/Outdoor Bootcamp.  We also offer weekly CPR courses - available at a discounted rate to MCC students.

MCC’s Center for Health & Wellness is located in the Bedford Campus Center (Building 8) 2nd floor, Room 211, and the Lowell City Building, Room G-04. For additional information, e-mail wellness@middlesex.mass.edu, or call 781-280-3765 (Bedford) or 978-656-3235 (Lowell).

The Center for Leadership & Engagement fosters student success with a focus on the whole student. The Center offers intentional experiences for self-discovery through social, academic, community and civic participation. Through co-curricular involvement, students develop the knowledge and confidence to become responsible leaders and active citizens. Various opportunities are available for students:

Orientation & First-Year Experience - Orientation activities begin fall and spring semester prior to the start of classes and continue through the end of the month. The First-Year Experience program offers new students special opportunities to connect with other students, faculty, and staff to ensure a successful first year.

Civic & Community Action - Opportunities for social change are offered at MCC. Through participation in thoughtfully organized service experiences, grassroots organizing, local and global democracy enhancement, and social justice, students can become knowledgeable, active and engaged citizens.

Experiential Learning - Student learning takes place inside and outside of the classroom at Middlesex. The Center for Leadership & Engagement works collaboratively with faculty to create transformative learning experiences that support the curriculum and Institutional Student Learning Outcomes

Leadership Development - Leadership education for students is offered via several tracks. Formal leadership programs are offered to students who wish to develop leadership skills in a structured manner as well as one-time sessions for students to develop skills at their own pace. A one-credit Leadership Seminar is open to all students interested in personal development and social change.

Student Activities - Events, programs and presentations that reflect students’ ideas, interests and leadership are offered regularly. A broad spectrum of activities provides opportunities to develop and enhance leadership skills and learn outside the classroom. More than 30 active clubs and organizations are open to all students, and new ones are formed each year.

Student Union Government Association (SUGA) - Comprised of students chosen in annual elections at both campuses, SUGA members represent the rights and concerns of the entire student body. They serve as the student voice on college wide committees and share responsibility in allocating a portion of funds from Student Services charges to on-campus student clubs and organizations. Find more information here.

The Center for Leadership & Engagement is located in the Bedford Campus Center (Building 8, Room 201), phone: 781-280-3762 and in Lowell Dr. Carole A. Cowan Center, Fourth Floor (Room 407), and phone: 978-656-3394. E-mail: studentengagement@middlesex.mass.edu.

Bookstores

Textbooks and course materials are available for purchase or rent at bookstores operated by Follett College Stores. The Bedford campus bookstore is located in the Campus Center; the Lowell campus bookstore is located in MCC’s Derby Building, 88 Middle St. To order books online, visit www.middlesex.mass.edu/administrativeservices/bookstore.aspx.

Cafeterias and Vending Machines

During fall and spring semesters the college has a full-service cafeteria in operation on each campus. Cafeterias are located in the Bedford Campus Center, and in Lowell on the Ground Floor of the City Building. Hours of operation are subject to change based upon the varying needs of students, faculty and staff. Vending machine services are provided on a year-round basis in most of the college’s facilities.

Childcare

A small number of childcare openings (on a sliding payment scale depending on financial need, as well as for children with childcare vouchers) may be available in Lowell at the Children’s Village at the Mill, located on Market Street next to the Roy Garage. This facility is open Monday through Friday, 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information, contact Community Teamwork at 978-459-0551 and ask for Child & Family Services.

The MCC Concert Hall

Located on the Bedford campus in North Academic Hall (Building 6), the MCC Concert Hall is known for its excellent acoustics. The 95-seat hall contains a seven-foot Baldwin piano and is the setting of the Middlesex Music Department’s annual A World of Music concert series featuring faculty, students and guest artists.

Parking

Student parking is available in designated lots on the Bedford campus. Validated student parking is available at designated municipal garages in Lowell. Since parking areas can become overcrowded at certain times of the day, students are advised to arrive early and allow extra time to park. Visit the college website for maps and directions to student parking areas on both campuses: https://www.middlesex.mass.edu/transportation/parking/.

The collegiate experience at Middlesex, on campus and in the classroom, is open to students of varying abilities and levels of adaptive skills. Supportive faculty and staff, as well as fellow students, encourage all students to participate in extracurricular and class activities. The Disability Support Services (DSS) Office provides services and resources to empower each student to attain his/her highest level of academic success and learning independence.

The DSS Office provides services and/or accommodations to eligible students with documented physical, psychiatric and learning disabilities. Pre-registration advising, tutoring, testing accommodations, and self-advocacy training can augment equal access to those who are otherwise qualified for a post-secondary education. Individualized accommodation plans are developed with disability-support specialists. All information shared with DSS remains confidential. For further information, call 781-280-3630.

Designed primarily to assist adult learners, Links is a tuition-free, start-to-college partnership program between MCC and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (DESE). Eligible students have the opportunity to earn college or institutional credits in a program designed to provide individual assessment of skills, assistance with career planning, and academic guidance and support, as they begin their college education.

Eligible applicants must:

• Have a high school credential (HiSET or GED) or high school diploma (preference is given to students who have studied in a DESE-funded Adult Basic Education program)
• Be a Massachusetts resident
• Take computerized College Placement Tests (CPT) at MCC and place into  Link’s courses

Links classes are typically held during the day, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, on the Bedford campus, with new classes starting each fall and spring. The program pays for tuition, course books and college services, including the CPT. For more information, call 781-280-3654 or 781-280-3662.

Related topics: MCC has other resources and services available for adult learners: The Adult Learning Center (see College in the Community ); Credit for Prior Learning (see Transfer Information ); and MILES (Middlesex Institute for Lifelong Education for Seniors) (see Corporate and Community Education and Training ).

MCC’s Multicultural Center is a place for students to meet and participate in educational, social and cultural activities that foster mutual understanding and appreciation of various cultures. The Center has computers for student use and is a vibrant place for study and conversation. The Multicultural Achievement Peer Program (MAPP), Latinos Unidos, African Cultural Club and International Club all meet, host programs and conduct workshops in the Multicultural Center. Professional staff members are available to assist students in developing the skills necessary to assure college success in an environment that is safe, nurturing and welcoming. Visit the Multicultural Center on the Lowell campus (City Building, ground floor) or call 978-656-3267 for more information.

Related topic: MCC offers additional resources and services through The English Learner Institute.

Students who have any concerns - from a minor dilemma to a major crisis - are encouraged to contact a personal counselor through MCC’s Personal Counseling and Consultation Services. Personal counselors are licensed mental-health professionals who support and assist MCC students as they cope with personal difficulties that are interfering with their academic progress. Students may discuss issues such as depression, relationship conflicts and stress management. Students may also want to talk about academic concerns, including issues of motivation, patterns of academic failure, time management, and/or test anxiety. Personal counseling is confidential, short-term and free of charge. In cases where students require extended therapy or specialized resources, personal counselors will assist with appropriate community referrals.

Personal counselors also consult to faculty and staff, providing information, training, and support around a variety of issues related to their work with students. While faculty/staff members are encouraged to share their concerns about students with a personal counselor, any information a counselor may have about students will be kept strictly confidential and not be shared.

Appointments for personal counseling are recommended to ensure counselor availability. In Bedford, the Personal Counseling and Consultation Services office is located in the Enrollment Center (Building 9), Second Floor. In Lowell, the office is located in the City Building, Third Floor. To schedule an appointment, or for more information, stop by or call 781-280-3630 (Bedford) or 978-656-3258 (Lowell).

Reviewed annually, the Student Handbook provides a comprehensive explanation of college policies, student disciplinary procedures, and student rights and responsibilities, and student services. The Student Grievance Procedure for complaints regarding college policies, practices or personnel is also detailed in the Student Handbook. The complete Student Handbook is available online at: www.middlesex.mass.edu/studenthandbook (alternative format upon request).

Inquiries related to college regulations, student conduct and the Student Grievance Procedure should be directed to Pamela Flaherty, Dean of Students, 781-280-3631, Bedford campus, Enrollment Center (Building 9, Room 202).

Middlesex Community College supports four collegiate and precollegiate federal TRIO programs, and the state/federal GEAR UP: Massachusetts precollegiate program. The collegiate TRIO programs assist students who are low income, the first generation in their family to attend college, or individuals with disabilities. MCC’s precollegiate student support programs work with students who are low income or are potentially the first generation in their family to attend college.

Collegiate TRIO Programs

The Program for Student Achievement

Established in the fall of 2001, the Program for Student Achievement provides services to eligible MCC students with disabilities in conjunction with the Disabilities Support Services Office. Students may receive individual tutoring, academic and career advising, assistance with transfer and financial aid, as well as opportunities to participate in cultural events. The objective of the program is to enhance academic skills while increasing retention and graduation rates, and fostering a supportive campus climate.

Student Support Services/Student Success Program

Offering 200 TRIO-eligible MCC students comprehensive and coordinated services that significantly increase rates of retention, graduation and transfer to bachelor degree-granting institutions, the Student Support Services/Student Success Program began in 1995. Students receive tutoring in math and writing; academic, personal, career, transfer and financial-aid advising; study skills and other skill-building workshops; culturally enriching field trips and college visits; and computer-assisted instruction.

Precollegiate Programs

TRIO

Upward Bound - is a carefully planned and intensive program of college preparation tailored to meet the specialized needs of students in grades 9-12. This semester-based, credited academic program is designed to assist 50 students enrolled at Lowell High School who are low income and/or first-generation college-bound students.

Educational Talent Search - targets TRIO-eligible Lowell students in grades 6-12 and fosters academic success, high-school completion, parent outreach, college/career awareness, and post-secondary placement. Each year, 725 students are served; approximately 40 percent of Talent Search graduates are placed at MCC.

GEAR UP: Massachusetts

MCC’s GEAR UP: Massachusetts Program is a student-support program for students in grades 7-12, funded by the U.S. Department of Education and managed by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education. GEAR UP stands for “gaining early awareness and readiness for undergraduate programs” and is a program designed to give low-income students the skills, encouragement and preparation needed to pursue post-secondary education. It also strengthens academic programs and student services at participating schools. GEAR UP serves 375 students annually and has strong objectives that align to the public schools’ adequate yearly progress (AYP), as required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Middlesex has a Veterans Resource Center (VRC) on each campus that provides information and assistance to students making the transition from the military to college. Veterans, current service members and family members are encouraged to come in for personalized information about on- and off-campus resources available to assist in the transition and acclimation to college.

The Veterans Resource Center can provide information and referrals regarding college resources, educational benefits, scholarships, medical benefits, mental-health resources, career resources, healthy-living assistance, disability-support services, and post-deployment transition issues.

The Bedford and Lowell campus VRCs offer an open environment where veterans and service members can connect, share stories, work on assignments and projects, or just socialize. Feel free to stop by and meet other students who have previously served - or are currently serving - in the military. For more information, call 781-280-3510 or visit: Bedford Veterans Resource Center, Enrollment Center (Building 9), Room 218; Lowell Veterans Resource Center, City Building (first floor).