Student Life
Personal/Professional Development Programs Lunch & Learn series brings prominent designers, architects, and experts in the field to the campus for intimate discussions with students. Supporting the Whole Designer series teaches the life skills designers need to thrive, from time-management to public speaking. Penni Morganstein, PhD, the school’s staff psychologist, curates this series. Health & Wellness Festival is a week of offerings to stimulate visual creativity and relieve stress. Take yoga or meditation, get a massage, or attend a lecture on health-related topics.
Community Service NYSID’s relationships with area nonprofit organizations enable students to share their design skills with those in need and assist with rebuilding struggling communities. NYSID is involved with such organizations as Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA), Park(ing) Day, Holiday House, Ronald McDonald House, and New York Cares. For more information regarding student life contact Karen Higginbotham, dean of students, at khigginbotham@nysid.edu.
Housing NYSID student housing, located at 1760 Third Avenue at East 97 Street, is owned and operated by Educational Housing Services, Inc. (EHS). Housing is open to all students through an application process administered by the Office of Admissions (space is limited). An on-site resident advisor serves as a peer counselor, 14 | NYSID Student Handbook 2017/2018
facilitates administrative referrals, and maintains behavioral standards set by NYSID and EHS. Information on other off-campus housing options is available to students by visiting the Dean of Students Office.
Student Health Insurance NYSID requires all undergraduate and graduate students taking nine or more credits to be covered by a health insurance plan. Any student who does not already have a health insurance plan will be automatically enrolled in the Consolidated Health Plan Program, a program arranged by the College and administered through University Health Plans, Inc. A brochure outlining benefits may be found online at the University Health Plans’ website universityhealthplans.com under the New York School of Interior Design link. Students who are enrolled in this plan will be billed for single coverage. The rate for the 2017–2018 year is $2,601 This covers the period from 8/27/17–8/26/18. This is an annual plan; students will be enrolled for both the fall and spring semesters. Any student who already has a health insurance plan that is comparable to the health insurance program offered by the College may choose to waive this coverage. Please be sure that services covered by your current health insurance plan are reasonably accessible in the NYSID area and include lab work, prescription drugs, outpatient hospital services, emergency room care, and hospitalization. In order to waive coverage, you must login to the NYSID Portal. A new waiver form must be submitted at the beginning of each academic year.