Frequently Asked Questions

If your student is moving in early because of athletics, they will receive information from their coach or supervisor regarding the date and schedule. Actual dates vary according to the sport or campus job for which the student is returning early.

Students have mailboxes in their residence halls through which they can receive mail and packages. Here’s how you can address mail for your student:

[Student Name]
1846 Main Street
Upland, IN 46989-1001

Taylor’s commitment to creating a nurturing environment that cultivates men and women of God starts from the first day your student moves into their residence hall. The leadership structure within residence halls is a part of that intentionality. Each wing or floor has an upperclassman PA (Personnel Assistant), who provides leadership and manages the activities of the wing or floor. The upperclassman DA works with the PAs to build and sustain a healthy, Christian community on the wing/floor.

In addition, live-in residence hall directors provide overall leadership to the entire hall.

The halls will be closed during the following breaks:

• Thanksgiving Vacation—Wednesday, November 23, 2022, 10 am until Sunday, November 27, 2022 at 1 pm
• Christmas Vacation—Friday, December 16, 2022, 10 am until Monday, January 2, 2023, at 10 am
• Spring Vacation—Saturday, March 18, 2023, 10 am until Sunday, March 26, 2023, 1 pm
• Summer Vacation—Saturday, May 20, 2023, 9:30 am (4 pm for graduating seniors)

As a reminder, only students who are registered for J-term classes can live on campus during January.

For packing guidelines and recommendations, please refer to this packing list.

Yes, parking passes are required to park a vehicle on campus. Students can visit Campus Police in the Boren Student Center to register a vehicle anytime between Monday through Friday, 8 am–5 pm (closed during chapel and noon–1 pm for lunch). The registration fee is $25, and the car must be registered every year within 72 hours of the first day of classes.

However, keep in mind that first-term resident freshmen are not permitted to have automobiles or motorcycles until after Thanksgiving. Personal exceptions may be granted for the following reasons:

• A medical or dental condition that requires frequent appointments with a doctor or health professional
• Employment off-campus (must provide proof of employment and schedule of hours)
• Illness of a family member or extenuating circumstances that may require a student to go home on an emergency basis
• In rare instances, if a student needs the vehicle to get home for Thanksgiving break the student should indicate that there is no other means of transportation available to get home.

To gain permission to use a vehicle for one of the above purposes, students must email a request to Jeff Wallace at jfwallace@taylor.edu. Reviews will be done by the Chief of Police.

Yes! Many students coordinate rides with others who return to the same area. There is also a shuttle service (Hoosier Shuttle) that picks students up and drops off passengers at the Cracker Barrel in Gas City at Exit 259 on I-69.

Yes, we want to make it easy for students to get to a local church. Many wings and floors post sign-ups in a central location for students to sign up for carpools to local churches. Encourage your student to ask upperclassmen and faculty/staff members for church recommendations.

Taylor offers semester-long and J-term academic study abroad, and J-term and spring break service trips. To discover more about the ways to serve, learn, and travel at Taylor, students should contact the Office of Off-Campus Study Programs, email lighthouse@taylor.edu, or the Taylor World Outreach Office Assistant Jen McKim.

Although students eligible for work-study are hired first, all students can apply to jobs on campus. Students should use the employment button on myTAYLOR to learn about job openings, the hiring process, and the forms they need to fill out.

No, campus jobs pay different wages according to the type of work required.

If you are unable to reach your student in the event of an emergency, call Campus Police at 765-998-5555. This number is monitored 24 hours a day by an officer. They will notify your student’s hall director who will then make contact with your student.

We care deeply about the physical, spiritual, and mental health of our students. Taylor provides a number of counseling services. Students should call or email the Counseling Center to set up an appointment.

Students should call or email the Counseling Center to set up an appointment.

No, there is no charge for academic support and tutoring. Students who wish to receive academic help should sign up through the Academic Enrichment Center.

The Taylor Student Health Center is located across the street from Samuel Morris Hall and is open Monday–Friday, 9 am–5 pm. Students should call 765-770-0650 to schedule an appointment.

Taylor parents raise financial resources each year for the Emergency Assistance Fund to be allocated for student emergencies. Medical costs not covered by insurance and emergency travel in case of death or severe illness of immediate family are two of the most frequent reasons for allocations from this fund. The monies from the Emergency Assistance Fund are raised through a special offering held during Homecoming & Family Weekend.

Every student has a Slingshot account, where they can opt in or opt out of the course material delivery service. If you choose to opt out, your student can still reference the lists in their Slingshot account to see what course materials they’ll need.

The charges for books are included in the semester charges unless a student opts out of the Slingshot program.

Yes! Check out this document to see what brands, specifications, and programs the Taylor IT department suggests.

The IT Help desk can sometimes help a student troubleshoot their personal devices, but the student will often be directed to contact the company with whom the warranty is held.

All of the academic buildings, the Dining Commons, and the Boren Student Center have printers for student use. By using CampusSecurePrint as a printing option, students can send a document to the print queue, and swipe their ID to print the document at any of the above locations. Students’ printing accounts are pre-loaded with $10 and can be renewed as necessary.

The Student Accounts office has all the information you'll need about payment plans, payment schedules, paying your bill, and contact information. 

Fall semester billing is available online in mid-July, and payment is due August 20 if not enrolled in a payment plan. Billing statements are generated and posted on the last business day of each month.

Scholarships awarded through Taylor require a student to maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA. Department scholarships and scholarships from outside organizations have varying GPA requirements.

No, admission to regular season athletic events on campus is free for students who show their student IDs.

TOWER Proxy provides parents access to the student’s online academic information. You can find instructions on accessing this tool here:

• Instructions for students
• Instructions for parents

Parents may receive access to academic records by being granted permission by their student to access TOWER information. Students must:

• Login to the Taylor Portal (myTAYLOR) at my.taylor.edu and open TOWER in the student tab.
• Select the Parent Access (TOWER Proxy) menu option located on the student’s TOWER account and select manage proxies.
• The parent must have a valid email address
• Select each information page for which review permission is to be granted.

After the above steps are completed by the student, you will receive an e-mail indicating the account has been created. It will provide a link for you to use to complete the authentication process.

For questions regarding TOWER Proxy, e-mail 4040@taylor.edu.

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a Federal Law that protects the privacy of students and prohibits institutions of higher education from disclosing any student information, including financial information, without the explicit authorization of the student. In accordance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), Taylor University has established guidelines regarding access to and release of educational records. In short, FERPA allows Taylor to release “directory information” without the consent or knowledge of the student, unless the student has notified Taylor in advance that such information is not to be released. Directory information may include the following:

• Photo
• Name
• Address
• Telephone listing
• E-mail address
• Date and place of birth
• Major field of study
• Participation in officially recognized activities and sports
• Weight and height of members of athletic teams
• Dates of attendance
• Degrees and awards received
• Most recent previous educational agency or institution attended

Parents need to be aware that their student’s directory information is not available to them if the student has requested it not to be disclosed by requesting “Privacy.” Other information about the student, such as class schedule, grades, and student account balance is NOT available to parents unless the student has signed a written release.

For a student to release information such as grades and financial statement to another person, they are required to sign a FERPA form and have it on file in the Office of the Registrar.

Mid-term grades are posted only if they are below ‘C.’ Therefore, the fact that you can’t see any mid-term grades for your child is a good thing!

Go to the TOWER Proxy login page. Enter the e-mail address used to establish your account and click on the Forgot PIN button. An e-mail will be sent to you that will allow you to reset the PIN and access your account.

Many businesses have a firewall that will not allow access to some outside internet sites. You may have to contact the network administrator at your workplace to see if an adjustment can be made to the firewall software to allow you to access the Taylor University site.

Email helpdesk@taylor.edu or call the IT Help Desk at 765-998-4040, Monday–Friday, 8 am–5 pm.

To be in compliance with FERPA, the student has complete control over what information his/her parent(s) can view. If your student’s name does not appear, he/she has not granted you access to their account information. 

TOWER Proxy does not provide financial account information. For detailed account information, visit TouchNet, which provides complete student account information on a secure online site, including current billing and monthly statements.

TOWER Proxy provides access to the student’s online academic information. TouchNet provides access to the student’s online financial account information and provides a mechanism for paying outstanding balances. (For questions regarding TouchNet, e-mail billing@taylor.edu or call 765-998-5123.)

TOWER Proxy and TouchNet are two distinct systems and do not share the same login information even though the parent’s email address is the username for both systems.

TOWER Proxy and the myTAYLOR portal are entirely separate system with different usernames and passwords.