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Student Experience FAQs
Q. Do I need a student ID card?
A. Yes. The first card is free; replacement cards are $30. Without a student ID card, you will not be able to check a book out of the library, use the Student Rec Center, go to dances, attend Ballistic Bowling, attend WVU athletic events, or attend other activities that occur on the Potomac State campus.
Students who reside on campus must have a student ID card to access their dining plan. Students who reside in University Place or Catamount Place also need their ID card to access the facility and room.
ID cards can be obtained in the Student Life Experience Office in AD 104.
Q. Can I bring my vehicle to campus?
A. Yes. College parking is available but limited and a College parking permit is required. Keep in mind that there is no overnight parking on streets adjacent to the College.
All students who have a vehicle on campus must purchase a parking permit ($50) and park in designated parking areas. Parking rules are strictly enforced by both University Police and the Keyser City Police.
Q. How do I get a parking permit?
A. Parking permits cost $50 for the entire academic year. All members of the campus community who park a vehicle on campus must display a valid PSC parking permit.
Parking permits may be purchased during Student Services Days prior to the start of each semester in the Church-McKee Auditorium. Once classes have begun, permits may be purchased by going to the University Police Office and obtaining a permit and then going to the Student Accounts Office located on the 100-level of the Administration Building to pay for their permit.
Q. Can I live off-campus?
A. Potomac State College requires all single, full-time students to live in College-operated housing. Students living at home with parents within reasonable commuting distance of PSC (50 miles), married students, students with children, and students 21 years and older are exempt from this requirement.
Q. How can I find out more about campus life?
A. Students and parents/guardians are encouraged to read the WVU-PSC Student Handbook . Students who are residing in College-owned housing should read the Residence Life Handbook. These publications are available at www.potomacstatecollege.edu .
It is a good idea to read all mailings from PSC that arrive before the school year begins. Students should be checking their WVU Portal email accounts regularly as many offices no longer use “snail mail” and send everything electronically through email. The College Website is also an outstanding resource for both student and parent/guardians to explore.
Q. I would like more information about getting involved with community service projects.
A. Students and staff have a long-standing tradition of being active in the local community. Many of our sports teams do community service projects, as do several student organizations. If you would like to get involved in these types of projects, you should contact Student Experience at 788-6842 or get involved with campus and community projects.
Q. May I have a pet/animal on campus?
A. Please review the Animals on Campus Policy and Animals on Campus FAQs for more information.
Q. Does PSC have fraternities or sororities?
A. No.
Q. How do I get involved in Student Government?
A. PSC's Student Government Association is very active on campus and welcomes students who want to get involved in the organization. Stop in the Student Involvement Office located in room 109 of the Student Union to talk to a staff person who can answer all of your questions. Find out more about SGA.
Q. How many student organizations are on campus and how do I join?
A. There are approximately twenty active student organizations on campus and all of them welcome new members.
Q. Does PSC offer intramural sports?
A. Yes. There is a wide variety of intramural sports opportunities offered to students throughout the year including flag football, soccer, volleyball, softball, and basketball to name a few.
The College recently opened a new Student Recreation Center that is available for student use seven days a week.
Students also have access to the new turf field at night until 11 PM, except during the winter, and when organized activities are not being conducted.
Q. When is the first day of classes?
A. The 2019 fall semester begins on August 21, 2019 New student orientation and Welcome begin on August 18, 2019.
Q. Does PSC provide transportation to train stations or airports?
A. A free shuttle service to and from the Amtrak station in Cumberland, Maryland (approximately 20 miles north of Keyser), is provided during Thanksgiving break, winter break, and spring break. From Cumberland, students can catch a train to either Washington or Pittsburgh. To learn more about the shuttle service to the train station just call the Office of Housing and Residence Life at 304-788-7407. Student shuttles are by reservation only.
There are cab companies in the area that will drive students to regional airports. Be sure to contact the cab company well in advance since this trip does take several hours.
College Shuttles, a separate transportation company, offers weekly weekend transportation to the Baltimore/Washington DC area. Please contact College Shuttles by telephone at 1-877-789-1947 for more details or visit them online.
BayRunner Shuttle West provides daily, scheduled transport services for airline passengers traveling from the Western Maryland service area to Baltimore-Washington International Airport or the Baltimore Greyhound Bus Terminal. For more information, call 1-855-229-7867 or 301-898-2571. Pick-up Hotline 301-378-0870. Web page: http://www.bayrunnershuttle.com/
Q. How do I get a WVU football ticket?
A. Normally, when tickets are available, WVU will notify PSC's Student Life Experience Office prior to the game and then Student Life Experience will post messages on the WVU Portal accounts and social media. Tickets are not always available for all games.
When WVU tickets become available, students should go to Morgantown the day of the game. Once in Morgantown, students should go to the ticket window at the North Gate of Milan Puskar Stadium and present your PSC student ID card to purchase a student ticket. The cost of a student ticket is $10.
Students can only purchase tickets in person the day of the game. Student tickets may NOT be available for all games. PSC students are not included in the Morgantown lottery for tickets. When Morgantown students are in lottery mode, tickets are typically not available for PSC or Beckley students.
Before each home game, students may inquire about ticket availability by contacting the WVU Ticket Office at 1-800-WVU-GAME.
Q. How do I get a WVU basketball ticket?
A. When tickets are available, students have to go to the Coliseum and show their PSC student ID card and pay $7 to obtain a student ticket.
Before each home game, students may inquire about ticket availability by contacting the WVU Ticket Office at 1-800-WVU-GAME.
Q. Does PSC provide transportation to WVU for football or basketball games?
A. No. Normally, there are students traveling to events in Morgantown and it is easy to snag a ride with another student. You may want to offer to help pay for gas.
There are times when WVU provides PSC with a number of tickets for games for students to ride a campus shuttle to and from the game. These trips are announced in advance and students are required to ride the shuttle to and from the game. The student is responsible for the cost of the ticket. Seats are limited and are distributed on a first-come first-serve basis.
Q. Will the College notify parents or guardians if their student is transported to the hospital?
A. It depends. Federal laws prevent College personnel from notifying parents/guardians unless it is a life or death situation. There are times when the College does not even know that a person is in the hospital as hospital personnel are not permitted to notify anyone, including PSC, unless they receive permission from the student.
If a student is transported by ambulance to the hospital from the residence halls, a Residence Hall Coordinator may contact parents as a courtesy unless of course, the student strongly objects and it is not a life or death situation (potential for harm to oneself or to others).
Q. Will the College notify parents/guardians if their student is arrested and taken to jail?
A. No. Again, Federal laws prevent the College from releasing this type of information.
Q. When will the College notify parents/guardians if something is wrong?
A. There are circumstances when the College can legally notify parents/guardians. In life and death situations (potential for harm to oneself or to others) for instance, the College normally tries to get parents/guardians involved. (Unless the student is strongly opposed to notifying one or the other parent, there are times when a student does not want to have contact with a particular parent and the College will weigh this into the decision of contacting parents.)
If a student has not been seen or has been reported missing, the College will normally contact parents to inquire about the student's whereabouts.
Q. Whom should I contact when there is an emergency and I need to contact my student?
A. It is best to try to contact the student by telephone in his/her room or by cell phone. If you do not get a response, you can contact the University Police at 304-788-4106 and they will try to get a message to your student. The College cannot force a student to return a telephone call.
Q. Does the College allow alcohol on campus?
A. No. Not even if the student is of legal drinking age. College personnel and University Police enforce all alcohol and drug polices and state/Federal laws. Students who violate these policies/laws will have a College conduct meeting. Students who violate alcohol and/or drug policies/laws could receive College sanctions up to and including expulsion from PSC along with other legal ramifications.
Q. Is marijuana decriminalized or legal in West Virginia?
A. No. Not even for medical reasons. College personnel and University Police enforce all drug laws and state/Federal laws. Students who violate these laws will have a College conduct meeting. Students who violate drug laws could receive College sanctions up to and including expulsion from PSC along with other legal ramifications.
Q. Do I get a refund if my student is removed from the residence halls for violating residence hall polices?
A. No. Students who are removed from College-owned housing as a result of conduct sanctions are not refunded any of their room money for the semester.
Q. What happens if my student gets caught drinking or using illegal drugs, including marijuana, in the halls?
A. Students are typically documented by Residence Life personnel and they will face residence life sanctions up to and including expulsion from the residence halls.
Depending on severity of incident and/or the number of repeated incidents, the Student Conduct Board could review the case and the student could possibly be expelled from PSC.
The student may be cited criminally by University Police and would have to appear before the magistrate and likely pay a fine and court costs that amount to approximately $200. Their name will also probably appear in the local newspaper. They will have a criminal record that will negatively impact their major and career choice.
In lieu of a criminal citation, the University Police do have, at their discretion, the Diversion Program where the student would be issued a University Citation and the student would face College sanctions through the Student Conduct office (not criminal sanctions). This is typically the avenue the College takes for first time offenders for a minor offense. WVU/Potomac State sanctions also apply at WVU/Morgantown and WVU/Beckley.
Q. Can a student get in trouble for bad behavior off campus?
A. Yes. The Student Conduct Code applies off campus. If a student does something off campus, more than likely that individual will be cited by the appropriate legal authority AND could face College disciplinary action.
Q. Is WVU/Potomac State College a safe campus?
A. Historically, PSC has been a very safe college to attend. Safety starts with you. The College encourages all members of the campus community to be vigilante of their surroundings and to report suspicious activity or people to the University Police.
Students are encouraged to download the free LiveSafe App to their Apple Device or Android Device. The free LiveSafe app will improve communication between students and University Police, and allows for faster emergency response in distress situations. By having access to the latest safety information, our goal is to help build a safe campus, together.
Q. Are there opportunities to work on campus and in the surrounding area?
A. PSC is located in a small, rural town and like most small, rural towns there are usually opportunities at local fast food restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores and retail stores. If you are interested in working at one of the local establishments, you should inquire with that particular business.
Regarding jobs on campus, at times there are part-time job opportunities available in Dining Services, on one of the College farms, or in Enrollment Services. Please inquire at any of those offices.
There are also Federal Work Study jobs on campus. Interested students should check with Enrollment Services about availability and eligibility.
Q. What is there to do in Keyser and the surrounding area?
A. If you are an outdoor enthusiast, you should be able to find something to do in the surrounding area.
There are some very good fishing streams located just a stone's throw from the college along with hiking trails and stream access points where you can launch a kayak or canoe.
Students have free access to free kayaks and mountain bikes through the Rec Center. First-come first-served.
There are several state parks located within a short drive of campus that offer hiking, camping, biking, skiing, snow tubing, white water rafting, fishing and other outdoor activities.
The C&O Canal is located in Cumberland that features a bike trail.
Many of our students go to Jennings Randolph Lake to fish and to swim.
If you enjoy golf, then bring your clubs because there are several golf courses in the local area.
Not really into the outdoor activities? There are things for you to do as well.
Students enjoy going to the local bowling alley. They also like going to the new movie theater that just opened in Keyser and the owners are working with PSC to cater to our students.
Students also enjoy going to some of the local eateries and shops located on Main Street and throughout Keyser.
PSC officials are working closely with local officials to make the town a choice destination for our students when they are not in class.