Your Guide to Columbia, the University of South Carolina, and ...

LIFE
AT USC
This section will give
you information about
resources, offices,
events, athletics, and
traditions at the
University of South
Carolina. We hope
this information will
help you begin to feel
at home here.
VIP (Visual Information Processing)
VIP is a site you will visit often to access your personal USC data and
information. After logging in to VIP with your student ID and password, you can
chose which category on the left side menu best fits your needs or what you are
looking for. In “Academics”, you can register for classes, get your transcript, and
see your schedule. In “Financial”, you can see your fees, pay your bills, and add
money to your Carolina Card. In “Personal”, you can change your VIP pin, edit
personal data information, see your housing assignment, and sign-up for Carolina
Alert. In “Technology”, you can change your network password and check other
campus technology information. http://vip.sc.edu
Blackboard
Blackboard is a course-management system that all USC students and faculty
have access to. All of your classes will be listed on Blackboard, but how often
you will need to use it will vary by professor. Instructors usually attach all course
documents such as the syllabus and supplemental readings to Blackboard and
also use some of its features to communicate with students. Your professor may
also require you to take quizzes or exams on Blackboard and interact with your
classmates using the Discussion Board feature. You log in to Blackboard using
your USC ID and password.
http://blackboard.sc.edu or http://vip.sc.edu “Blackboard” then “Columbia & 2
year campuses”
Email
You can access your email through VIP. Your email is your university ID name@
email.sc.edu. Your password is the password you have set up for VIP. USC uses
Microsoft Outlook. If you do not wish to access, your email from here, you can
have your USC email forwarded to another address. We will communicate with
you often through email so please make sure to check it on a regular basis. When
receiving emails from the Office of Student Engagement and National Student
Exchange, please respond immediately or at least within 24 hours unless noted
otherwise.
Carolina Card
Your Carolina Card is the most necessary form of identification you will need
throughout campus. You must have it present to check out books at the library,
enter your residence hall, be admitted in to athletic events along with a ticket,
and to use many other university services which may require proof of your
enrollment at USC. The Carolina Card is also a declining debit card for purchases
you will make at the university. When you put money on your Carolina Card (aka
Carolina Cash), you can swipe your card to pay for Carolina Dining services, items
from campus vending machines, laundry machines in the residence halls, copies,
expenses at the Student Health Center, concessions at Williams Brice Stadium
and the Colonial Life Arena, purchases at the Russell House University Bookstore,
equipment rentals from the Strom Thurmond Wellness, and much, much more.
Carolina Cash can be added through VIP (http://vip.sc.edu, then “Financial”) or at
one of the several Automatic Deposit Machines throughout campus.Local
businesses will not accept Carolina Cards and Carolina Cash as a form of
payment, but you may get a discount if you show your ID. The Carolina Card
office is located in the basement of the Russell House University Union. Make sure
to bring a driver’s license, passport, or other photo identification. Your first card
is free, but a lost or stolen ID is $35.00 to replace. For more information on the
Carolina Card, see http://carolinacard.sc.edu