Facilities, equipment, services at BU
It starts with a modern, well-organized and safe campus.
- Residence halls, campus dining, critical student services, bookstore and student union are bundled together at the lower end of campus - the section that's closest to downtown Bloomsburg. All residence halls are key-card access, and all rooms have sprinklers and hard-wired smoke detectors.
- Academic buildings, especially labs, are modern and generally located in a group around a large quad anchored at one end by Andruss Library and at the other by Student Services - both of which have snack bars.
- Sports facilities are grouped on upper campus, surrounded by various athletic fields. Upper campus also hosts two student apartment complexes.
- Upper and lower campus, about a half-mile apart, are connected by a continuously-running free shuttle service. Shuttle service extends to downtown Bloomsburg, particularly late at night.
- The campus is well-lit, with many emergency call boxes that connect directly to university police. Police patrol the campus around the clock, and use a video surveillance system to watch over areas that are less-frequently traveled. A free escort service is available to any student concerned about walking alone.
- All buildings on campus are non-smoking. No alcohol, illegal drugs or weapons are allowed on campus.
BU's information and communication technology services takes considerable pride in the speed, efficiency and reliability of its high-speed computer network, which boasts an uptime of over 99 percent.
- All residence hall rooms are wired for direct connection to the university's high-speed computer network (ethernet).
- Hundreds of computers are available to students at open-access labs in most buildings, especially the library. A number of academic programs have dedicated labs that include their own mainframes for instructional purposes.
- Andruss Library offers students and faculty a large array of online database access for research purposes.
- All student academic transactions -- registration, scheduling, grades, etc. -- are electronic. The official university catalog is a web publication.
- Specialized technology is current and found in all science labs, generally on a par with that found in major universities. Undergraduate students have access to this equipment for regular classroom use.
- Software on all machines is current and supported by a dedicated tech team. In addition to the standard Microsoft XP operating system and Office suite, there are some Mac platform machines available. Various departments also use highly specialized applications appropriate to instructional needs.
BU's dining facilities are operated by Aramark and renowned for quality, variety and style. Meals are served in scatter-court environments with sensitivity to dietary variety and always with options to satisfy everyone. Students are invited to participate in menu planning.
Wellness facilities begin with a professionally-staffed student health center, located in Kehr Union. The center includes a free pharmacy of common over the counter medications for minor illness and first aid needs, and professional staff are prepared to provide primary diagnosis and care for sickness or injury. The staff also provides counsel on staying healthy. A community hospital is located directly across the street from campus, and a major tertiary care facility is about 10 miles away. University police and Bloomsburg paramedics are prepared to assist with emergencies.
The university also offers professional counseling services for students with emotional and substance difficulties, and students have access to spiritual and medical support as needed.
Wellness also includes plenty of recreational opportunities, ranging from basic fitness workouts to many intramural and club sports and outdoor adventure. BU offers them all, and thousands of students participate.