Falcon Family Update

August 2024 Newsletter

Resources for Students
UMAlert
Important Information from the Office of Student Accounts
Alertus Mobile App
Important Dates to Remember

Resources for Students

Greetings UM family! Whether you are the parent of a senior or a newly christened freshman, there is a certain amount of excitement that comes with the start of each new semester. This is the year that your student can make a new start or can continue to make great strides toward the career they seek. The University of Montevallo is dedicated to providing the support that will help your student succeed, and more information about this support is outlined below. We hope you remember these services when your student expresses a need during the semester. Unless otherwise noted, departments are open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. More information can be found at a220149.com.

Access and Compliance (formerly Disability Support Services) — Students with physical, emotional and learning disabilities can work with the Access and Compliance (AAC) office to arrange accommodations. A variety of accommodations and services are available through AAC. Please contact the AAC office to make arrangements for documented needs. If your student has an injury that requires accommodations during the semester, you can contact AAC to help arrange for temporary parking and other types of accommodations. For more information, visit a220149.com/disability-support-services.

Career Development Center — The Career Development Center provides help with job search skills or choosing a major. Career services include career assessments and employability skills training, information regarding full- and part-time jobs, information about on-campus interviews, internships, graduate school, career events and seminars on various career-related topics. Visit a220149.com/career-development-center for more information.

Counseling Services — Students deal with a variety of issues when making the transition to college, and sometimes need the help of a counselor. By appointment, our staff provides counseling services including mental health screening and evaluation/assessment, as well as short-term personal, group and crisis intervention counseling. Referrals will be made for students with needs that fall outside the scope of our department’s practice. For more information, visit a220149.com/counseling-services.

Harbert Writing Center — The Harbert Writing Center offers free consultation services to writers at all stages of the writing process. HWC consultants are trained to assist members of the UM community with writing projects across the curriculum. For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit a220149.com/harbert-writing-center.

Housing and Residence Life — UM residence halls offer students an opportunity to share a spirit of community that enriches their collegiate experience. Research shows that living on campus during the freshman year is a positive factor in student success. For more information, visit a220149.com/housing.

Learning Enrichment Center — The Learning Enrichment Center supports academic success by providing free services including individual and group tutoring, group study and academic needs assessment. Please call 205-665-6113 or visit a220149.com/learning-enrichment-center for more information.

Public Safety — The UM Police Department is responsible for maintaining campus security and providing a safe environment for campus life. The department provides the University with a full-service public safety agency that is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The department encourages prompt reporting of all crimes and suspicious activity to UMPD. Please feel free to contact UMPD at 205-665-6155 with any questions about services it provides.

Student Health Services — Where does your student go when they are sick at school? Student Health Services provides direct, basic care and health assessments to students and serves as a referral source for students needing care beyond that available on campus. Most services are covered by the undergraduate health fee. For more information, visit a220149.com/student-health-services.

Student Life — Getting involved in extracurricular activities is one way students can expand their academic experience beyond the classroom. With more than 90 student organizations to choose from, there is something for everyone. For more information, visit a220149.com/student-life.


UMAlert

The University of Montevallo utilizes a state-of-the-art, rapid alert system called UMAlert. This system provides members of the UM community with the most advanced rapid communication program currently available for schools.

UMAlert enhances the timeliness of UM’s emergency communications and provides the University with a convenient and effective tool for informing students, faculty and staff of human or natural threats.

Through UMAlert, members of the University community, whether on campus or not, can be notified within moments of an urgent event. Emergency messages can be sent via telephone (landline and cell), voicemail, text messaging and email.

New user accounts are automatically registered twice a month (on the first and third Wednesdays). Students may add parent emails/phone numbers as needed to their UMAlert contact list if they would like their parents to receive the alerts. To log in, go to myschoolcast.com/go/um and use your official UM username and password.

If you have any questions or login issues, or if you have forgotten your login information, please email umalert@a220149.com.   


Important Information from the Office of Student Accounts

The mission of the University of Montevallo’s Office of Student Accounts is to assist Montevallo students and families in understanding their financial obligations related to attendance at the University. For some, the responsibilities of college can be overwhelming. These responsibilities may include bill payment, registration dates and knowing school policies. Please look below for answers to some of our most frequently asked questions.

Where is the Office of Student Accounts located? Our office is located on the second floor of Palmer Hall.

Where can I find out my student’s account balance? Log on to Banner Self-Service (link to Banner Self-Service is located at the bottom of the a220149.com homepage). Choose Student, then Student Account. To see the current account balance, choose student account summary by specific term or account detail by specific term while making sure to select the current term from the dropdown box on the next page.

What are my payment options at UM?

  • Make payment in full by the published payment deadline date (first day of class by 5 p.m.)
  • Enroll in a payment plan (fall and spring semesters only). Visit our webpage at edu/payment-plan-information for more information about payment plan options currently available at UM.
  • If using financial aid, make sure the amounts you have been awarded are adequate to fulfill the balance owed on your account. IF a balance remains after your aid credits, the remaining balance must be paid by the published payment deadline date.
  • Late Payment Fee: A $50 late fee will be charged if payment is not made or loans are not applied to the student’s account by the payment deadline.

How do I make my payment?

  • Online: Through Banner Self-Service you can make a payment on your account, view past web payments, set up a parent/authorized user, and save payment information to make it easier to pay the next time. You also have the option of paying with an e-check. Everything is secure and compliant with federal regulations.
  • In person: Checks, VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express are accepted in person at the Office of Student Accounts window on the second floor of Palmer Hall; 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
  • The Office of Student Accounts does not accept credit card payments over the phone due to security and privacy reasons.
  • Mail checks (please include Student ID number on check) to:
    University of Montevallo
    Office of Student Accounts
    Station 6065
    Montevallo, AL 35115

When are billing statements sent? UM no longer mails out paper bills to students. All students are sent an electronic bill (e-bill) to their University-assigned email address once a month regardless of their account balance.

I’m the parent of a student and I pay the bills. Why can’t you talk to me directly about my student’s financial matters? The Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) requires that we have written permission from the student to disclose any part of the student’s educational records which, by law, is confidential. Information concerning this federal law can be found at http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/ferpa/index.html. Your student can establish you as an authorized person by going to the Registrar’s Office on the second floor of Palmer Hall to fill out the release form or by visiting a220149.com/record-release-authorization to fill out the form online. Once this form is on file, the Office of Student Accounts will be able to answer your questions regarding your student’s financial matters.

Contact Information:
University of Montevallo
Office of Student Accounts
Station 6065
Montevallo, AL 35115
Phone: 205-665-6065
Fax: 205-665-6078
Email: cashier@a220149.com


Alertus Mobile App

The Alertus Mobile Recipient App offers a panic button feature that allows users to request help by sending geo-targeted incident reports directly to the University of Montevallo Police Department (UMPD). The reports are received and handled by the University Police. For more information about the Alertus App and for set up instructions, download the Alertus Mobile App Instructions.


Important Dates to Remember

Aug. 17                     New Student Move-In Day
Aug. 18-20              Returning students move-in
Aug. 21                    Classes begin for fall semester/Payment deadline for fall
Aug. 21-27              Drop/Add period of fall registration
Aug. 27                    Last day for refund for dropped fall course/s
Sept. 2                     Labor Day (University closed)
Oct. 10                     Founders’ Day
Oct. 14                     Fall Break (No classes)
Oct. 15                     Mid-Semester week
Oct. 28                    Last day for course/semester withdrawal for fall registration
Nov. 4                      Spring 2024 and summer 2024 registration begins for currently enrolled graduate students
Nov. 6                      Spring 2024 and summer 2024 registration begins for currently enrolled undergraduate students
Nov. 11                     Veterans Day (University closed)
Nov. 27                    Halls close at 8 a.m. for Thanksgiving (except Brooke Hall, College Creek, College Park, Lund Hall and Peck Hall)
Nov. 27-29              Thanksgiving holidays (University closed)
Dec. 1                       Halls reopen at 2 p.m.
Dec. 2                       Classes resume from Thanksgiving holidays
Dec. 4-6                   Classes meet as scheduled; however, no exams or quizzes may be administered and no other graded assignments may be due
Dec. 9-13                 Final examinations for fall courses
Dec. 13                     Fall Commencement/halls close at 5 p.m. for students not graduating and 7 p.m. for graduates (except Brooke Hall, College Creek, College Park, Lund Hall and Peck Hall)
Dec. 20                    Winter Holidays begin at 5 p.m. (University closed – will reopen 1/2/25)
Jan. 2                       University reopens from Winter Holidays
Jan. 6                       Classes begin for spring semester