Life as a student at IU Southeast comes with various perks and benefits, and even secrets that some IU Southeast students are unaware of.
In Hillside Hall, a lot of students may not know that there is a collaboration study lounge, which was updated around a year ago by Information Technology.
“Not a lot of students know about the area, but the students who do seem like they really enjoy it,” Lee Staton, manager of communications and special projects, said.
Staton described the space as having a lot of outdated furniture before the renovations. He said the new upgrades have turned the space into a modern place where students can go to study and relax before their next class.
IU Southeast also has an observatory for astronomy students.
“It is right past campus and even appears on our campus map, but students don’t really notice it,” Staton said.
Tony Argento, pre-English sophomore, said he is a fan of IU Southeast’s music label, New Dynamic Records.  It is part of the music program offered by IU Southeast, and through New Dynamic Records website, www.newdynamicrecords.com, students can purchase MP3s and CDs.
Artists who sell albums on the website include Cadillac Moon Ensemble, Kentucky Center Chamber Players, Counter)induction, Cory Barnfield, Prism Quartet and Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble.
“I think the secrets that I would know would be more historical in nature, but I can’t stress to students enough that IU Southeast offers free personal counseling to those in need,” Rebecca Carlton, senior lecturer and coordinator of basic courses in communication studies, said.
The IU Southeast personal counseling services are located in University Center South, room 201, and are available to all students, whether part-time or full-time, at no charge.
The services are all confidential and include individual, group, family and couple counseling. The services even include faculty and staff consultation and referral for substance abuse treatment and medication evaluation if needed.
IU Southeast students, faculty and staff also get a wide variety of software packages at no charge through IUware.  The packages include many different licensed products.  A few of the most popular downloads are Office 2013, Creative Suite 6, Acrobat XI and Photoshop Elements 12.
“The access to iuware.iu.edu software is a huge saving,” Carlton said.
The software is also available in the IU Southeast bookstore on disc, and students who are unsure of how to use their new software can access free software tutorial videos through Lynda.com.  Students can also buy used computers through the bookstore at discounted prices.