Student Services

Graduate Center for Excellence

The Graduate Center for Excellence, located on the third floor of the Louis J. Blume Library, includes collaborative learning stations with extensive access to technology designed exclusively for graduate student use.  The Graduate Center for Excellence hosts programming to support graduate student success, including seminars to support research and writing.  More details can be found at www.stmarytx.edu/gce.

Information Technology Services

Information Technology Services (ITS) provides the University community with high quality technology infrastructure and services in support of its mission to prepare and educate leaders of tomorrow's world. Students coming to St. Mary's University are asked to bring a lap top to campus. All student dorms provide Internet access to residents. Over 80% (58/68) of classrooms are equipped with projection and Internet access, and approximately 1/3 of the classrooms are wired for student connectivity. We support a Web-based course management system allowing students access to course materials, communicating with instructors and fellow students, and submission of coursework and assignments. Wireless access is available in all open areas such as the library, the university center, and the Charles L. Cotrell Learning Commons.

The Technical Support Center (TSC) provides prompt and friendly support for all students, staff and faculty of St. Mary’s. We welcome you to communicate with us by phone, email, online and walk-in for computing/technology support.  The TSC is located in the Charles L. Cotrell Learning Commons on the 1st Floor of the Louis J. Blume Library.

Campus Recreation Programs

The mission of Campus Recreation is to enhance the mind, body and spirit of students, faculty, staff and guest by providing excellent programs, services and facilities that are responsive to the physical, social, recreational, and lifelong educational needs of a diverse community.  The Intramural Sports Program provides an opportunity for students, faculty and staff to participate in a variety of individual and team recreation activities in the men’s, women’s and co-rec divisions.  The Fitness program offers instructions in proper form and usage of the fitness room equipment, variety of group fitness classes, and personal fitness assessments.  Aquatics offers a heated natatorium suitable for the serious lap swimmer and the swimmer who is more interested in the leisure and relaxation aspect of the pool.  Aquatics offers year round classes in Lifeguarding, Water Safety Instructor and swim lessons for all ages for St. Mary’s University community and public alike. The indoor rock-climbing wall is an exciting and fun alternative to traditional exercise.  A popular activity among students, the 40 ft. climbing wall is a unique experience that offers novice to advance climbing routes, an artificial crevice, and a 45-degree overhang.

Community Engagement

As a Catholic and Marianist University, St. Mary’s is committed to providing students with experiential learning opportunities that inform their development of faith and vocation, their understanding of justice and the Common Good, and their journey to becoming leaders in our local, national and global communities.  Through involvement with ongoing local volunteer opportunities, service-learning classes, advocacy work, immersion experiences and civic leadership – all rooted in reflection and shaped by our Catholic identity – the Office of Civic Engagement serves to connect our students to the world around them as they identify where their passions, skills and talents meet the world’s needs. Simultaneously our office works to build and maintain healthy and mutually beneficial relationships with community partners, particularly those on the West Side of San Antonio. We serve as the connector of our students and neighbors in a joint effort to learn from one another in a process of community growth and development, heeding Father Chaminade’s wisdom that “new times call for new methods,” and working together to discover our best possible response.

Intercollegiate Athletic Programs

St. Mary's University participates in intercollegiate athletic programs for men and women, designed to assist in the overall development of students. Varsity athletic teams at St. Mary's are rich in history and tradition. School colors are gold and blue and the team name is the Rattlers. St. Mary's is a member of the Lone Star Conference, the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II. St. Mary's teams participate in baseball, basketball, golf, soccer and tennis for men; and basketball, softball, soccer, STUNT, tennis, volleyball and golf for women, and esports for men and women. The Bill Greehey Arena is the home of the basketball and volleyball Rattlers while Dickson Stadium, one of the finest collegiate baseball stadiums in the country, is the home of the baseball team. The softball team plays at the Softball Stadium, while Sigma Beta Chi Field houses the soccer teams and the Rohrbach Stadium Tennis Complex is home to tennis. The esports team competes at the Spectrum Esports Arena. St. Mary's University has five national champions: The 1986 and 2002 women's softball team, 1989 men's basketball team, the 2001 baseball team and a 2006 men’s golf individual. The Rattlers also have two national academic championships in the sports of men’s and women’s golf.

Residence Life

The Office of Residence Life at St. Mary's University is a component of the Student Development Division and is shaped by Marianist traditions. Residence Life provides residence halls that are communities which develop students' life skills and personal responsibility and serve as transitional environments to future roles and service to society. First year students that reside outside of San Antonio/Bexar County are required to live on campus for their first two (2) years unless they receive permission prior to beginning of their first semester from the Office of Residence Life.

Student Identification Cards

During the registration processes each student is responsible for obtaining a Rattler Identification Card from the Technical Support Desk located in the Cotrell Learning Commons. The Rattler card is necessary for participating in student activities, elections, athletic and cultural events; for checking out books from St. Mary's library and other college libraries; for use in the Registrar's Office, the Business Office, and the Bookstore; for use as a meal card in the Dining Facilities and other official uses by the University. All students are required to carry their identification while on campus and must present it upon the request of any University official.

Student Integrity and Welfare

The St. Mary’s University student conduct program is managed by the Vice President for Student Development/Dean of Students and is committed to be an educational and developmental process that balances the needs of individual students with the needs of the University community. Every member of the St. Mary’s University community bears responsibility for their conduct and assumes reasonable responsibility for the behavior of others.

The Vice President for Student Development/Dean of Students is the principal officer for all non-academic discipline and may assign persons designated to implement these procedures (St. Mary’s University Faculty Handbook, 2.17.2).

At St. Mary’s University, the Vice President for Student Development/Dean of Students has assigned management of the student conduct process to the Assistant Director for Student Integrity and Welfare who oversees and manages day-to-day operations of the student conduct process. The Vice President for Student Development/Dean of Students has also delegated limited authority to Residence Life Professional Staff to resolve certain resident student conduct reports as assigned by the Assistant Director.

Student Publication

St. Mary’s University supports student publications, such as The Rattler, so that they can explore and discuss student concerns, campus events, and (to some extent) world affairs. The publication records and provides a forum for student opinion, while also modeling responsible journalism.

Since all student media are public forums, their content is not censored, nor is funding withheld because of it. The content of The Rattler is decided by its student editors, not by the administration, faculty or staff of St. Mary’s. The Associate Vice President for Student Development chairs the Student Publications Board, which supports the student editors and staff advisers of all publications to ensure consistency with the mission of the University.

University Ministry

University Ministry is an expression of a desire to be present to all who are involved in higher education. It is a department that is inspired to be bold and creative in the task of re­thinking the goals, structures, style and methods of evangelization and seeks to create and develop a ministry that is “of a “missionary option”, a missionary impulse capable of transforming everything, so that spirituality and customs of faith can be suitably channeled for the evangelization of today’s world. Its mission is to assist the University's efforts in providing opportunities for all its members to develop the intellectual, moral, and spiritual principles needed for leading value and God-centered lives. Inspired by Catholic and Marianist traditions, University Ministry seeks to unite all persons on campus at their deepest level of religious consciousness, and to enrich them through a genuine ecumenical sharing. University Ministry, staffed by religious and laity, fosters a spirit of community and faith. We provide opportunities to strengthen one's spiritual life and, in collaboration with other departments, encourage community members to respond to the needs of others through the celebration of the Eucharist and other Sacraments, prayer, community service, social justice programming, service immersion experiences, pastoral counseling, retreats, Small Faith-Sharing Communities, spiritual direction, faith formation, peer ministry and other activities. The Eucharist is offered daily when classes are in session and on Sundays in the University Chapels. Special all-school Masses and smaller liturgies and prayer services are interspersed throughout the year. All the members of faith on campus are called, according to their own gifts, to share in this ministry. We welcome the participation of faculty, staff, students and Alumni as part of the team effort to integrate a growing sense of ministry and service into the total experience of our academic community.

International Student Services

International Student Services serves as a point of contact for international students at St. Mary's University from pre-arrival through post completion of their studies. Immigration services include issuing Form I-20AB needed to obtain an F-1 student visa, recommending and authorizing practical training, and maintaining student information in SEVIS (Student & Exchange Visitor Information System), the government database. Other services include international check-in, serving as a liaison between international students and other campus offices, information on obtaining a Social Security Number and Texas Identification card, and offering workshops and cultural events specifically for International Students.

Testing Services

The Rattler Success Center offers placement testing and serves as a national testing center for a variety of programs including CLEP and THEA. Test fees are set by the particular program. Some tests require additional on-site administrative charges.