Policies and Procedures
Appointments vs Walk-ins
Appointments are encouraged, but consultants will accomodate walk-ins on an as-available basis. You can book appointments in advance to reserve a consultation time. Consultations booked by appointment will usually last one hour. Walk-ins CANNOT be reserved in advance and typically last 25-30 minutes. We suggest reserving appointments in advance to avoid long waits and lack of consultation availability.
Consultation Length
Appointments are always scheduled for one hour to guarantee students adequate time to make progress on their communication products; appointments never exceed one hour.
Walk-ins will typically last 25-30 minutes; after 25-30 minutes, the consultant will need to move to the next student with an appointment.
Inclement Weather Plan
For the safety of staff and students, the Noel Studio will monitor conditions throughout the day and reserves the right to cancel appointments and offer walk-ins as available in the event the University does not delay or cancel classes due to inclement weather.
Face-to-face consultations & room appointments
In the event of an inclement weather delay, all Richmond campus consultations and room appointments will be canceled. The Noel Studio will operate on a walk-in basis once campus re-opens for the day and any restrictions have been lifted. For the safety of staff and students, the Noel Studio will monitor conditions throughout the day and reserves the right to cancel appointments and offer walk-ins as available in the event the University does not delay or cancel classes due to inclement weather.
Online consultations
In the event of an inclement weather delay, all online consultations will be canceled. Students should call the Noel Studio at (859) 622-7330 to reschedule online consultations. Depending upon consultant availability, the Noel Studio may or may not be able to reschedule for the same day.
Workshops, orientations, & presentations
In the event of an inclement weather delay, all workshops, orientations and presentations are canceled. Classes previously scheduled in the Noel Studio are welcome to meet in the Noel Studio space reserved for their class for the duration of the delayed class period. Instructors are invited to work with Noel Studio administration to reschedule workshops, orientations, and presentations by contacting noelstudio@eku.edu.
Weekends
In the event that inclement weather is expected on a Sunday, the Noel Studio reserves the right to cancel existing consultations. Consultations will be offered on a walk-in basis as available. Students should call ahead to verify availability of walk-in consultations.
For the most up-to-date information concerning the Noel Studio’s inclement weather schedule, please call (859) 622-7330.
Checking In
All students who visit the Noel Studio for a consultation will need to check in 5-15 minutes before the appointment time at the Noel Studio Reception Desk, located under the spiral staircase near our University Drive entrance, by informing the Desk Consultant of your appointment time and name. The Desk Consultant will contact your Consultant and alert him/her you have arrived and are ready to begin. The Noel Studio reserves the right to cancel your appointment if you are arrive more than 10 minutes late.
Please wait for your consultant in the waiting area near our Reception Desk. Remember: if you do not check in, we have no way to know that you are waiting, and we might consult a walk-in in your place.
Breakout Spaces and Practice Rooms
The Noel Studio has Breakout Spaces and Practice Rooms for refining presentations, working with videos, developing multimedia displays, practicing interview skills, and collaborating in small groups. You may reserve these spaces for use with a consultation or on your own for up to two hours. Due to the popularity of these spaces, the Noel Studio reserves the right to turn the space over to the next student or group after two hours or to students who have the space reserved. Students, faculty, and groups can reserve spaces on a recurring basis, as defined by the same day and/or same time, for up to three consecutive occurrences.
Please note that the Noel Studio will hold your space for 15 minutes after your reservation time. The Noel Studio reserves the right to release the space after 15 minutes.
Conference Room and Discovery Classroom
The Noel Studio Discovery Classroom and Conference Room foster intellectual activities that involve oral communication, written communication, research, collaboration, and creative thinking. The purpose of these spaces is to further Noel Studio pedagogy and support collaborative efforts between the Noel Studio and the EKU community.
For more information about collaborating with the Noel Studio, please email us at noelstudio@eku.edu.
Noise
The Noel Studio is a vibrant, active, and collaborative space. With this in mind, students will often use the Greenhouse, Invention Space, or Presentation Suite for spontaneous collaboration and group meetings. The Noel Studio is not intended for quiet study; Crabbe Library offers quiet study spaces on the fourth floor. Desk consultants will monitor the space for noise-related issues and reserve the right to notify students if issues arise.
Technology
The Noel Studio is a technologically sophisticated space and therefore has a support staff that maintains our technology on a daily basis. When technology presents a challenge, our support staff members and consultants will do their best to help remedy the issue swiftly. Consultants are trained to use the technology; however, they are not technology experts, and are therefore not able to fix issues related to technology in student projects. Consider visiting the Tech Commons for assistance with technology.
Predicting Grades
We will never predict grades during consultations. You should not ask us to assign a grade to an assignment. The Noel Studio exists to complement instruction that takes place in the classroom. Thus, the instructor is the only person who can provide grade-related information.
Editing
Our primary service is the consultation, which involves an engaged, active exchange between consultant and student. We expect students to be engaged in each consultation, sharing ideas willingly with us, asking questions, and, of course, coming prepared for each session. To this end, we will not edit or proofread student papers. Instead, we will employ modeling and other strategies to help you recognize issues in your own communication products.
Appointments for Small Groups
We welcome small groups to use the spaces of the Noel Studio and visit for consultations. When scheduling an appointment for a consultation, one student should book the appointment through the WCOnline system. The student who reserves the room or consultation should check in at the reception desk at the time of the appointment.
Proof of Consultation
Throughout your consultation, your consultant will record notes of the session and give you a copy at the end of your session. This paper serves as your official Record of Consultation in the Noel Studio. Noel Studio staff will NOT sign any non-Studio paperwork. Noel Studio Consultants are not permitted to provide blank Records of Consultations (RoCs) or modify, add to, or falsify information on RoCs. RoCs will not be provided without a consultation. If you need a copy of an RoC from a previous consultation, please email the Noel Studio at noelstudio@eku.edu
Acceptable Behavior in the Noel Studio
The Noel Studio reserves the right to refuse service and/or usage of the facility to any visitor exhibiting signs of violence, aggression, or rudeness. Inappropriate behavior in the space should be reported immediately to the desk consultant or a Noel Studio administrator. These visitors will be asked to leave immediately. Noel Studio Consultants are not permitted to consult students outside of their previously established and scheduled hours. Consultants are students and may use the Noel Studio’s spaces and resources for their own class projects. If a Consultant is NOT wearing a nametag, he/she is not on the clock and is not permitted to provide consultations. Check at our reception desk for available appointments or walk-ins.
Limitations on Consultations
Students/groups are only permitted one consultation per day. Additionally, Consultants are only allowed to provide feedback on one project from one student/group per consultation. If you need consultations for multiple projects, please schedule a separate appointment for each project.
Academic Dishonesty
Students must be present for consultations. Consultations are most beneficial when students are fully engaged. Thus, students may not send friends or classmates to have a consultation for a text that they have composed. Furthermore, students should not seek consultations for take-home exams or other projects when explicitly instructed not to seek assistance. The Noel Studio will not participate in an act that violates academic integrity policies. Issues of academic dishonesty will be reported to Eastern Kentucky University’s Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities.
