Student Support Services

Academic Advisors

Once you are enrolled in a program and have started college, you will be assigned a faculty member who will serve as your academic advisor. This person will assist you in planning your course schedule and advise you about other campus activities that would enhance your academic career. Visit your division office to learn who is your academic advisor.

Disability Services

Western Technical College provides support services for students with disabilities. There are a wide range of support services and accommodations that can assist you. These accommodations may include peer notetakers, enlargement of print materials, assistance at registration, alternative testing, additional orientation to campus, and adaptive equipment. Upon request, your instructors will be notified about the accommodations you need.

To request disability support services, you must schedule an appointment with the instructional support specialist. You will need to bring documentation of your disability. Guidelines for Professional Reports Documenting Disabilities PDF. At this meeting you will discuss the classes you have registered for and the accommodations you need. To ensure that support services are in place when classes begin, students should complete this process at least one month before entering Western by contacting:
Kristina Puent
Instructional Support Specialist
Academic Resource Center Room 154
608.785.9875

Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services

Western provides specialized services to students who are deaf and hard of hearing. Interpreter services are provided to students, upon request, for classes, tutoring sessions, and all other related academic and social functions. Other services available for students who are deaf and hard of hearing may include: paid notetakers, test accommodations, advocacy and liaison between deaf and hard of hearing students and campus community, information and referral regarding deafness and/or recent hearing loss, tutoring through the Academic Success Center, sign language classes offered by the College, and transition assistance. FM Listening devices and other technology are also available to students for use in the classroom.

Any Western student with a hearing loss may be eligible for these services. To request interpreter services please contact the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Specialist to schedule an intake interview appointment, preferably before the semester begins. You will need to bring documentation of your disability (i.e. audiogram) and the most current Individualized Education Plan. These documents assist our office in determining which accommodations will best benefit you in the classroom.

To make an appointment, contact:
Kris Follansbee,
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Specialist
Academic Resource Center
Room 152
608.785.9551 V/TTY
follansbeek@westerntc.edu

Counseling

If you are admitted to a program at Western, you may have seen a counselor as part of the admission process. This counselor may have helped you select a program of study and develop goals.

Now that you are a student, a counselor can help you with career counseling, personal counseling, academic problems, and program changes.

The Counseling Center in C-129, is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday -Thursday and from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday. Evening hours are available by appointment only. Call the Counseling Center at 608.785.9585. Counseling services are available by appointment at each of the extended campuses.

Minority Services

Minority Services The Minority Services office provides a comprehensive network of services for minority students either currently enrolled or thinking about enrolling in Western programs or classes. Services include:

  • Assistance with college registration, scholarship applications, financial aid forms, and housing
  • Career assessment and advising academic accommodations (testing, note-taking, tutors, interpreters)
  • Peer support group
  • Employment/job search assistance
  • Other services promoting student success

For more information, contact the Minority Services office, Academic Resource Center, Room 152, 608.785.9550

Child Care/Parent Child Center

The Parent Child Center, for children ages 1 to 7, is open from 6:45 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. during the school year (excluding summer). It is located on campus in the Center for Childhood Education at 419 N. 9th Street. The center is committed to helping children grow physically, emotionally, mentally, and socially through learning experiences in music, literature, science, and mathematics, as well as field trips and outdoor activities. Early Childhood teachers at the PCC all hold degrees in education. The Parent Child Center has full-time, part-time, and hourly rates to meet your needs.

In addition to offering affordable, quality care, the center is the lab for the College’s associate’s degree program in Early Childhood Education as well as a site for the La Crosse School District’s 4-year-old preschool program.

The Parent Child Center was the first center in the La Crosse area to receive accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the nation’s largest organization of early childhood educators. For information call 608.785.9541. parent child center website.

Alcohol, Tobacco, Other Drugs

Western recognizes the link between student success and low-risk drinking and other drug choices. Through classroom instruction, campus activities, and counseling and support services, the College affirms its commitment to student success. Student involvement is critical to quality prevention efforts on campus. Western has the services of an AODA prevention specialist whose office is on the La Crosse Campus in the Kumm building, Room 100.

Personal AODA counseling services are available through the Counseling Center, Coleman, Room 129, or by calling 608.785.9585.

Instructional Support Services Division (GOAL)

The Instructional Support Services Division (ISS) serves approximately 3,000 students each year at 12 District locations including all Western campuses. The unit offers five major programs and a variety of specialized services supporting unique student populations. The five program areas are:

  • Adult Basic Education (ABE)
  • Developmental Studies
  • High School Credential

For more information, please contact our GOAL office at 608.785.9535 or the GOAL instructor at your local Western campus.
Instructional Support Services website

Spiritual Opportunities

You are welcome to attend activities at the campus ministries located adjacent to the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse campus. They are: the Lutheran Campus Ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America; the Newman Center, the ministry of the Roman Catholic Church; and the United Campus Ministry, a ministry of the American Baptist Church, the Episcopal Church, the United Methodist Church, the United Presbyterian Church, and the United Church of Christ. The Salvation Army, 223 North Eighth Street, is located adjacent to the Western campus.

You can make personal contact for religious guidance and worship with numerous churches in the area. Jewish students may contact the Congregation Sons of Abraham in La Crosse.

Wisconsin state law ensures the College will make reasonable accommodations for any students’ sincerely–held religious beliefs for the purpose of scheduling examinations and other academic requirements. Please see your instructor to make alternate arrangements. Should questions arise, contact the vice president for instruction on the second floor of the Administration Center.

Migrant Labor Services

The Instructional Support Services Division serves migrant workers within the Western district that are employed in the Christmas tree and meat packing industries. The division provides instruction for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Civics, Citizenship, and GED preparation.

For more information, contact the Instructional Support Services Division Office, 608.785.9535.