Student Resources

Basic Needs Emergency Funding

This program is for currently registered students, to assist with purchasing supplies, books and other indirect educational costs needed to be successful at Otis College. Your request will be evaluated based on your demonstrated financial need (FAFSA Student Aid Index) or your extenuating circumstances detailed in your application. These are one-time funds that are meant for students facing unexpected situations.

Upon approval, processing time is approximately 3-5 business days. If you need emergency funding, please contact the One Stop at onestop@otis.edu to apply.

Feed-A-Need Food Assistance Program

If a student is experiencing temporary food insecurity (i.e., can’t afford to eat and/or do not have access to food within a given period of time), students may apply to the Feed-A-Need program once per semester. This program provides students with up to 14 free meals a semester, which can be used within the semester a student has been approved to receive free meals. To qualify for this program, a student must:

• Be a full-time enrollment in a BFA or MFA program;
• Be able to demonstrate need (i.e., disclosing on the Feed-A-Need application the current situation and why the student temporarily does not have access to food);

The application is located here: https://otiscollege.formstack.com/forms/feedaneed_food_assistance_program. Applications are processed within 48 hours. If a student is approved, meals will be placed on the student’s One Card, and meals can be used at Elaine’s Dining Hall or Rose Hills Cafe.

Food Pantry

Otis College has an open access food pantry and students who are enrolled have the ability to use their ID Card to access the Food Pantry at any time for any reason, no questions asked. This is open to any student, with no application requirements. Otis College solicits donations every semester from faculty, staff, students, and community members throughout the academic year. The Food Pantry is restocked weekly during the Fall and Spring semesters, and is not restocked over breaks including Fall Break, Winter Break, and Spring Break.

Identification Cards/One Card

All students are required to obtain an Otis College Identification (ID) Card, available through the Student Engagement and Leadership Office and the Office of Campus Safety and Security. Otis College ID Cards remain valid with current enrollment. ID Cards are used for campus access, purchase food in Elaine’s and the Café, pay for laundry, buy supplies in the campus art supply store, check out library materials, tools, and equipment, and to establish a student’s identity as a currently enrolled student. Students are encouraged to treat the ID Card as an important document and to take care not to lose it. Students are required, upon the request of any Otis College faculty/instructor, staff, administrator, administrator, or security guard, to show their ID Card. Under no circumstances should students allow their card to be used by any other person. Lost or stolen ID Cards should be reported to the Office of Campus Safety and Security. Replacement costs for lost cards is $25.00.

Personal Appliances

Students are prohibited from bringing personal appliances and personal electronics, including but not limited to coffee makers and teapots, microwaves, refrigerators, hot plates, and televisions to their campus studios. Such items will be removed and held by the Office of Campus Safety and Security for pick-up. 

Posting Policy

The College supports the freedom to publicize activities and distribute materials by internal or external entities relating to functions both on- and off-campus that benefit the College community and are consistent with the College’s values.

General Posting

Approval must be obtained prior to making use of campus facilities for the sale, promotion, posting or distribution of any type of material. All materials must have a responsible sponsor stated directly on each piece and adhere to all policies that apply. All printed materials posted or distributed on campus by students and guests must meet the approval of the Director of Student Engagement and Leadership. Printed materials include flyers, posters, banners, announcements and advertisements. Bring your poster/flyer to the Office of Student Engagement and Leadership for stamped approval between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday. Allow 24 hours turnaround time for approval.

Additional Approvals

The Director of the Office of Student Engagement and Leadership (or designee) must approve all promotional material for any and all activities before being posted. The Executive Director of Career Services (or designee) must also approve announcements advertising employment opportunities for Otis’ students.

Student Affairs, Academic, and Administrative office posters do not need the approval of the Office of Student Engagement and Leadership. The promoting group must obtain permission of the appropriate department to post on bulletin boards in Academic/Administrative areas for non-departmental ads.

Literature Distribution

Literature distribution must be supervised by a student member of the sponsoring registered organization. Nonstudents may not distribute literature on campus without specific approval of the Director of Student Engagement and Leadership or the Dean of Student Affairs. Each sponsoring organization will be held responsible for the conduct of the distribution activity, including the behavior of any non-student participant. For a complete guide to posting on campus, you should contact the Director of Student Engagement and Leadership directly at engagement@otis.edu. Failure to adhere to this policy may result in losing the privilege to distribute or post printed materials on campus for a period of time to be specified by the Director of Student Engagement and Leadership. 

Student Activities Fee

Otis College’s student activities fee is a fee based requirement for all enrolled students. The student activities fee supports the co-curricular activities and services produced by the Office of Student Engagement and Leadership. All fees associated with the student activities fee must be used within the purview of Student Engagement and Leadership and are managed by the Director of Student Engagement and Leadership and Dean of Student Affairs. Any proposed use of student fees that lie outside of student co-curricular programming and services within student activities, cannot be done without full engagement of the student community, namely Campus Activities Board (CAB) and Student Union (SU).

Student Education Records – FERPA

Otis College complies with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) which affords students certain rights with respect to their education records. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) was established to protect the privacy of students.

The primary rights of students under FERPA include:

1. Students have the right to inspect and review their education records within 45 days of submitting a written request to the College.
   1. Requests should be directed to the Registrar, registration@otis.edu, and should identify the record(s) the student wishes to inspect. The College will arrange access and notify the student of the time and location.
2. Request amendment of education records they believe are inaccurate or misleading.
   1. Requests must be submitted in writing to the appropriate College official, clearly identifying the portion of the record to be changed and the reason for the request. If the College denies the request, the student will be notified and informed of their right to a hearing.
3. Provide written consent before the disclosure of personally identifiable information (PII) from their education records, except where FERPA permits disclosure without consent.
4. File a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education regarding alleged failures to comply with FERPA.

Students who wish to share their information with family members or third parties should complete the FERPA Release of Information at www.otis.edu/ferpa (requires log in). 

Disclosure Without Consent

FERPA permits disclosure of education records without a student’s prior consent under certain conditions, including:

• To College officials with legitimate educational interests
• To comply with a judicial order or lawfully issued subpoena
• To officials of another institution where a student seeks or intends to enroll
• In connection with a health or safety emergency

A College official is any person employed by the College in an administrative, supervisory, academic, research, or support staff position; a member of the Board of Trustees or Board of Governors; or a student serving on an official committee or assisting another College official in a formal capacity.

A College official has a legitimate educational interest if they need to review an education record to fulfill their professional responsibilities.

Military Recruiting Information (Solomon Amendment)

In accordance with the Solomon Amendment (10 U.S.C. § 503), Otis College may provide certain student information to representatives of the U.S. military for military recruiting purposes.

The Solomon Amendment requires institutions of higher education that receive certain forms of federal funding to provide military recruiters access to student recruiting information that is comparable to the access provided to other employers.

Information that may be released for this purpose is limited to student directory information, including:

• Name
• Address
• College-issued email address
• Telephone number
• Age or Date of birth
• Major field of study
• Educational level (e.g., freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, graduate)

Students who have submitted a valid Directory Information Restriction Request Form will have their directory information withheld from military recruiters to the extent permitted by applicable law.

Requests for military recruiting information will be reviewed and processed by the Registrar in accordance with federal law and institutional policy.

Directory Information

The College may disclose certain information, known as directory information, without a student’s prior written consent.

Directory information at Otis College includes:

• Name
• Address
• College-issued email address
• Telephone number
• Age or Date of birth
• Major field of study
• Dates of attendance
• Degrees and awards received
• Most recent previous institution attended

Students may restrict the release of directory information by submitting the Directory Information Restriction Request Form. Students may email the Registrar for more information at registration@otis.edu.

Contact Information

The federal office that administers FERPA is:

Student Privacy Policy Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202-4605

Student Work

All artwork, projects, and other work (including digital work) done by any student while studying at the College or during any official College activity off-campus, are created for educational purposes. The College reserves the right to retain any student work for exhibition or publication, and each student grants to the College such rights to all student work and photographs. When the College has no further need for the student’s work, it will be returned to the student if so requested in advance. Although the College will take caution in the care and handling of the student’s work, the student releases the College from any liability for the loss, theft, or damage of any student work in its possession or control.

Unclaimed Student Work

The College will dispose of any unclaimed materials or work left by students who have graduated, withdrawn, been dismissed, departed for summer vacation, or otherwise left the College. Any work blocking a fire exit, left in a hallway, or other non-storage area, or in any way interfering with the normal activities of the College will be removed without notice. The College will assume no liability for the loss, theft, or damage of any student work at any time. Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) assignments must be picked up from the LAS office by the end of semester following the semester in which the work was completed.

Sustainability

The College demonstrates its commitment to sustainability throughout its facilities. Ahmanson Hall was retrofitted from a former IBM research facility, while the North Building was retrofitted from a former bank. The Galef Center was designed according to green principles using low-energy glass and HVAC systems. To reduce waste and conserve energy, Ahmanson Hall employs a highly efficient cooling tower heat exchanger system; computer-controlled “smart” variable speed heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC), thermostats, and elevators; and new water bottle filling stations. Across campus gray water is used for the sprinklers, non-emergency lighting is sensor-controlled, hand dryers reduce paper waste, energy-efficient ceramic kilns are fired during low peak hours, and lighting with ballast and fluorescent tubes all save energy and resources. In addition, the Café offers eco-friendly packaging and discounts for bringing your own cups, while College publications use Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) recycled paper and printing methods.

One of the most important ways that students can contribute to Otis College' sustainability initiatives is by separating trash into the proper receptacles on campus, taking care not to mix the different types. Excess materials and supplies can be donated to the campus Resource Exchange (located behind the ground floor wood/metal shop in the parking garage). Students can also trade for needed materials and supplies that may be in stock throughout the year. Students are also encouraged to carpool, bike, or take public transportation to and from campus. More info about Otis College's sustainability issues is available at http://www.otis.edu/sustainability.