Current Students

American Jewish University is proud to welcome a diverse student body, and seeks to provide a safe, rewarding, and respectful classroom environment for all. The University’s Section 504 Coordinator is here to facilitate accommodations request submitted by students with physical or mental disabilities.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 mandate equal opportunities for students with disabilities to participate in or benefit from services offered by a place of public access, including private universities.

These acts define a disability as a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. Moreover, a student with a qualified disability must meet the academic and technical standards required for admission or participation in an educational program or activity. AJU does not waive academic requirements for degrees or alter admissions criteria for any student, but the University makes every effort to provide reasonable accommodations when presented with appropriate, compliant documentation.

Please see AJU’s Policy on Accommodations for Persons with Disabilities for more information. This Policy includes AJU’s policy on service and emotional support animals. Please see AJU’s Procedures on Accommodations for Students with Disabilities for more information on how students could request for disability-based accommodations, and any other issues related to the accommodations review process at AJU.

Requesting Accomodations

To be considered for accommodations, students must provide official documentation by emailing academicaffairs@aju.edu. Whenever possible, accommodations requests should be submitted prior to the start of each semester. The request must include a medical evaluation, completed within the last three years, containing:  

• An identification of the disability, including the diagnosis, history of onset, and methodologies used to determine the diagnosis
• The current functional impact of the condition as well as a description of the current functional limitations as they relate to the major life activity impacted by said diagnosis
• Recommended accommodations with the rationale for each recommended accommodation. Such accommodation recommendations should be appropriate for an institute of higher education

The evaluation must be on official letterhead including the printed name, signature, title, professional credentials and license number of the evaluator along with the address, telephone, and (if applicable) fax number(s).

Documentation must be provided by a licensed, credentialed, and qualified medical healthcare professional who has no prior personal or familial relationship with the individual being evaluated.

The evaluator must be the “subject matter expert” in the area for which they are providing an evaluation/recommending accommodations.

Institutions of higher education do not accept IEPs utilized in primary (K-12) education.

Please note that some recommended accommodations may not be offered as AJU is not bound to implement all recommendations made.

The cost of obtaining an evaluation is borne by the student.

Privacy

All information, including the request and supplementary materials, will be stored with the University’s Section 504 Coordinator. We will not share this information with any other parties without your permission. The Section 504 Coordinator will work with you to convey your accommodations request to your individual professors.

If you have any questions or concerns about AJU’s disability/accommodations processes, please email academicaffairs@aju.edu. 

Web Accessibility

American Jewish University (AJU) is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website for students, prospective students, and members of the community with disabilities. All pages on the AJU website will conform to the W3C WAI’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Level AA conformance, or updated equivalents of these guidelines.

With regard to the AJU website and any official AJU web presence which is developed by, maintained by, or offered through third party vendors and open sources, AJU is committed to compliance with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 so that students, prospective students, and members of the public with disabilities are able to independently acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same benefits and services within the same timeframe as those without disabilities, with substantially equivalent ease of use; and that they are not excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or otherwise subjected to discrimination in any AJU programs, services, and activities delivered online.

Reporting Discrimination, Harassment, or Retaliation (DHR)

A student, prospective student, or member of the public who wishes to report or complain about potential discrimination, harassment, or retaliation (DHR) based on protected status (e.g. disability, race, age), may contact AJU’s Office of Equity, Compliance, and Title IX. Individuals could also use the online reporting form on the University’s Equity, Compliance, and Title IX webpage to make a report or complaint, including anonymous reports.

Office of Equity, Compliance, and Title IX

15600 Mulholland Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90077

Phone: 310-440-1571

Email: titleix@aju.edu

Reporting Accessibility Issues

A student, prospective student, or member of the public who wishes to submit a complaint or grievance regarding issues related to the accessibility of any official AJU web presence that is developed by, maintained by, or offered through AJU third party vendors and/or open sources may complain directly to a school administrator, or the school webmaster. The initial complaint or grievance should be made using Website Accessibility Complaint/Request Form, however, a verbal complaint or grievance may be made. When a school administrator or webmaster receives the information, they shall immediately inform AJU’s Communications Department.

Complaints about accessibility issues should be submitted in writing, via email, or by completing the website complaint form. Written complaints may be submitted to:

American Jewish University
Webmaster/Communications Department
15600 Mulholland Drive
Bel Air, CA 90077 

communications@aju.edu

Accessibility complaints may also be submitted utilizing the online form. Once AJU has been notified of inaccessible content, effective communication shall be provided as soon as possible to the reporting party to provide access to the information. The Complainant should not have to wait for the adjudication of the accessibility or DHR complaint to be concluded before receiving the information that he/she was unsuccessful in accessing.

Health Insurance Policy

American Jewish University does not provide health insurance or charge a health services fee to its students. Students are strongly encouraged to acquire minimal standard health insurance coverage during the duration of their studies with us, however proof of health insurance is not required as part of your enrollment. The following list are websites to assist you with acquiring health insurance information and coverage. The list is not considered comprehensive, is given as a convenience to our students, and not as any type of endorsement or recommendation.

Domestic Students

• Health Insurance Marketplace®: https://www.healthcare.gov/get-coverage/
• Say on Parent’s Plan until Age 26: https://www.healthcare.gov/young-adults/children-under-26/

Domestic Students residing in California

• Medi-Cal: https://www.coveredca.com/apply/
• Covered California: https://www.coveredca.com/apply/

International Students

• Compass Student Insurance: https://www.studenthealthusa.com/
• Cultural Insurance Services International: https://www.culturalinsurance.com/
• International Student Insurance: https://www.internationalstudentinsurance.com/student-health-insurance/
• International Student Protection: http://intlstudentprotection.com/
• ISO Insurance: https://www.isoa.org/
• PGH Global: https://www.pghstudent.com/
• PSI Health Insurance: https://www.psiservice.com/

American Jewish University provides academic advisement and academic counseling within each academic School (Masor School for Jewish Education and Leadership, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, and the Jewish Learning Experience. The University does not employ AJU-staff to provide mental health or psychological counseling for students enrolled in its academic programs. For degree-seeking students of the aforementioned programs who require support on mental health or psychological counseling services, TimelyCare and Maple Counseling Services are available resources for students to utilize. For non-degree-seeking students in academic programs, Maple Counseling is an available resource. For questions or concerns, please contact academicaffairs@aju.edu.

TimelyCare Services

AJU has partnered with TimelyCare to offer virtual health and wellbeing services for degree-seeking students of the Masor School for Jewish Education and Leadership (BA, MA, and EdD students) and the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies (MA students). Through either a mobile app or internet website, TimelyCare provides 24/7 access to virtual care from anywhere in the United States at no cost.

Students do not need insurance to access TimelyCare services. Students are able to meet virtually with a provider for acute, in the moment needs or on-going mental health support.

Whether you're feeling a little down, anxious, or overwhelmed, you can talk to a licensed provider to get the care you need via phone or secure video visits.

Available Services

• TalkNow: 24/7, on-demand access to a mental health professional to talk about anything at anytime.
• Scheduled Counseling: Scheduled options to speak to a licensed counselor (up to 12 visits per year) - evening and weekend appointments are available.
• Self-Care Content: Guided self-care content, including yoga and meditation sessions, as well as group conversations with providers on a variety of health and well-being topics.

How to Access Care

Students can go to timelycare.com/aju to register with their name and school email address. Once a student is registered, they can then have visits from any web-enabled device – smartphone, laptop, or desktop. 

Maple Counseling Services

The Jewish Federation has recently entered into a partnership with Maple Counseling, a longstanding Los Angeles counseling services center. The goal of this partnership is to provide Jewish community members with affordable mental health support. Individuals residing in California may contact Maple to access therapy sessions at no more than $25 per session. Additionally, Maple employs so-called Coverage Counselors who can assist you in navigating private or public insurance to secure external mental health professionals.

Call 310-271-9999 ext 1 or email info@tmcc.org.

New student orientation is held twice yearly, approximately one week prior to the start of both Fall and Spring semesters. Orientation is mandatory for all new AJU students. Orientation is an opportunity for you to meet key staff members who will help guide your education. We have developed a program that combines informational sessions about degree requirements, interactive sessions in which you will experience the AJU style of small-class learning as well as recreational and community-building experiences.

Mandatory Orientation Forms for New Students at AJU

• FERPA Policy Form: https://bit.ly/POPFERPA
• Media Release Form: https://bit.ly/AJU_MEDIA
• Student Rights and Disclosures Form: https://bit.ly/AJU_SRDF

Optional Forms (only complete if you are planning to visit our campus)

• Parking Registration Form: https://bit.ly/ajuparking
• AJU Fitness Center Release Form: https://bit.ly/ajugymwaiver

English Language Learner (ELL) Accommodations

American Jewish University does not have a formal policy on providing language accommodations. However, there may be occasions when establishing accommodations for multilingual students (for whom English is not their primary language) can facilitate learning. Students with inquiries regarding ELL accommodations should contact Dr. Robbie Totten, Chief Academic Officer, at AcademicAffairs@aju.edu.

AJU is committed to cultivating a serious and scholarly environment in which AJU students, faculty, staff, and affiliates can earnestly engage with complex and challenging ideas without fear of reprisal. As is articulated in our Diversity Statement, we, as a Jewish institution, are particularly attentive to the broad range of ideas, intellectual traditions, political approaches, and observance customs within and across the various sects of Judaism that our University engages and serves. More broadly, our faculty, administrators, and staff are united to ensure that robust scholarly exchange in all of our programs exists in the context of respectful dialogue, such that all students (regardless of race, ethnicity, religious belief, sexual orientation, gender, class, physical (dis)ability, and age) are empowered to pursue their quest for knowledge as well as personal and professional development.`

There are two ways to reach our support team:

E-mail support@circlemsp.com from your aju.edu email (if available) with a detailed description of your issue. This automatically generates a ticket in our system with a ticket number for reference. We will respond to your email within one hour, based on the nature of your request.

Call (800) 635-8558 OR (949) 266-6415 to speak to a technical consultant. This option is available 24/7, although we cannot guarantee immediate assistance for non-urgent requests. Please use this option if there is an emergency work stoppage or company-wide outage.

Below outlines the technology required to be successful in this course and tools you may encounter to supplement course materials and enhance your learning experience. You'll also find links to important resources available to you through American Jewish University.

Technology Requirements & Resources

Each student at American Jewish University must have a device that allows for access to our Learning Management System (LMS) and corresponding materials. This is a requirement of enrollment at American Jewish University. AJU has made every effort to ensure that this material is available on a multitude of different devices/operating systems.

You may need to have access to the following technology for your courses:

• Computer or tablet (see below for specifications on minimum hardware)
• Reliable internet connection for device/computer (wi-fi or ethernet recommended)
• Built-in or external speakers, headphones, or similar for audio playback.
• Canvas learning management system (LMS)
• Google, Chrome, or Mozilla Firefox web browser
• Word-processing software (the full Microsoft Office 365 is available for students to download, courtesy of AJU, upon enrollment in an accredited program)
• Additional tools may be required for courses in this program. Review the syllabus for information on required materials and tools.

You may need to be proficient in performing the following tasks:

• Navigating the Canvas LMS
• Accessing links to videos and websites
• Creating and saving documents

Distance Education Students

Much of AJU’s course and curricular content for distance education programs is delivered in an electronic format, so each student must possess a device that allows for access to the following:

• Zoom videoconferencing tool
• AJU’s Canvas by Instructure Learning Management System (LMS)
• AJU emails through Microsoft Outlook, and corresponding course materials
• AJU Populi Portal the Student Information System (SIS) for student records and payment portal
• A computer or laptop device is a requirement of enrollment in distance education programs at American Jewish University.

Device Recommendations:

For best performance, we recommend using a computer that supports the most recent browser versions. It is recommended to use a computer five years old or newer with at least 1GB of RAM. It is recommended to have a minimum Internet speed of 512kbps.

Apple Devices:

iPad (iPad2 or newer recommended*)

iPad Mini (Retina display suggested*)

iPhone (4s or newer recommended*)

iOS 13 or above is recommended.

*All device versions are technically compatible with the delivery application. However, older devices may be limited by memory and CPU requirements of a given book/file size. It is likely that students with iOS devices pre-iPad 2/iPhone 4 may experience diminished functionality of the delivery application.

Android Devices:

Phone & tablet devices utilizing the Android OS are compatible with the delivery application. Due to the wide variety of manufacturers and models, a standardized list of actual devices cannot be issued. Android OS 6.0 or above is recommended.

Desktop Readers (Mac and Windows):

These desktop reader applications require Adobe AIR to be installed and current on the machine. All tech specifications are related to same minimum requirements for Adobe AIR installation: https://help.adobe.com/en_US/air/build/WS5b3ccc516d4fbf351e63e3d118666ade46-7fee.html

Windows

2.33GHz or faster x86-compatible processor, or Intel Atom™ 1.6GHz or faster processor for netbook class devices Microsoft® Windows Vista® Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise (including 64 bit editions) with Service Pack 2, Windows 8 or higher Classic 512MB of RAM (1GB recommended).

Mac OS

Intel® Core™ Duo 1.83GHz or faster processor Mac OS X v10.7, v10.8, or v10.9 512MB of RAM (1GB recommended)

Questions about your device’s specifications and requirements may be directed to our IT Department at support@xoverture.com. For all other inquiries, please contact your School Dean or the Academic Affairs Office at academicaffairs@aju.edu.

Zoom

Zoom is a videoconferencing tool that your instructor may use to host optional synchronous class meetings or individual office hours with students. Be sure to download the Zoom application before starting your course. Check out the Zoom Getting Started Guide for questions or help resources.

Additional Technology Tools

Zoom

Zoom is a videoconferencing tool that your instructor may use to host optional synchronous class meetings or individual office hours with students. Be sure to download the Zoom application before starting your course. Check out the Zoom Getting Started Guide for questions or help resources.

Canvas LMS Course Troubleshooting Tips

If you have a question about any of your courses inside the Canvas LMS, such as submitting an assignment, taking a quiz, finding content, etc., start by doing the following:

• Check out the Canvas Student Quick Guide .
• Make sure you are using a  supported browser with the latest version installed.
• Check the Course Syllabus.
• Check for related announcements from your instructor.
• Ask your classmates via the Course Questions discussion board.

If you've done all of that and still have questions, then contact your instructor.

Technical Support

Contact the AJU Help Desk for technical questions.