LEARNING CENTER FOR RAPIDES PARISH
DEFINITION
The Learning Center for Rapides Parish (Center) shall be defined as a facility
whose operations, management, and supervision are provided for by the Louisiana Board
of Regents. The Center consists of a consortium of existing institutions of postsecondary
education. These institutions collaborate by sharing resources and using a variety of
instructional techniques to deliver a selection of academic programs and support services
designed to meet the specific, immediate, and long-range postsecondary educational
needs of the citizens of Central Louisiana.
MISSION
To serve as a host facility coordinating efforts of existing postsecondary
institutions to provide education and workforce training opportunities responsive to the
needs of students, employers, and the Central Louisiana region.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Responsibilities of the Center include but are not limited to: conducting needs
assessments, strategic planning, selecting or brokering courses and programs,
coordinating and marketing services, and assuring the quality of delivery.
GOALS
The Center shall strive to meet the following goals:
•
To provide enhanced access to postsecondary education in Central Louisiana.
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To meet the needs of the region’s workforce with quality education and training
programs.
•
To promote a climate of cooperation between postsecondary institutions,
government, and business.
•
To position Central Louisiana as a technologically advanced area, helping to
create a skilled and trained workforce, and facilitating the economic development
of the Region.
•
To facilitate the integration of educational goals and career development of the
citizens of Central Louisiana.
COLLABORATION AND UTILIZATION OF
RESOURCES
The philosophy of operation for the Center will be that of collaboration and
maximizing resources. To every extent possible, all collaborating institutions will be
expected to share resources in order to enhance the delivery of all programs and services.
Priority for scheduling of resources housed at the Center will first be given to
academic credit courses or credit programs. Once the deadline for submission of courses
for a particular semester has passed, any space remaining will be available on a firstcome, first-serve basis. Please refer to the scheduling policies located in this manual for
further information.
LIBRARY
The Center will maintain a library with on-line research capabilities. The
Learning Center Library will house standard reference materials, computers with Internet
access, and materials placed on reserve by collaborating institutions. Hours of operation
for the library vary each semester and can be found on the Center’s website
(www.thelcrp.net). If an instructor would like to schedule additional library hours, a
written request should be submitted to the Dean one week in advance of the time
requested. The Center staff will work with that instructor to try to accommodate the
request.
COMPUTER LABS
The Center will maintain computer labs to be used by collaborating institutions
for the delivery of computer based credit and non-credit courses. Please refer to
Procedures for Scheduling Courses.
The computer lab or labs may be reserved on an as needed basis for open lab,
special topics, short-term training, etc. Please refer to the Room Request Form for
scheduling. The institution reserving the lab will be expected to have an instructor in the
computer lab during the time it is scheduled for use.
COMPRESSED VIDEO CLASSROOMS
The Center offers several video conference classrooms available for use by
organizations or institutions. For courses or programs other than those for academic
credit, please refer to the Facility Use and Equipment Rental Rates section of the policy
manual for costs associated with compressed video classroom use.
The Center will provide a technical facilitator during times that video conference
classrooms are in use. The technical facilitator is responsible for ensuring that the
equipment is functioning properly during the time of the course or program.
technical facilitator will not be responsible for any instructional duties.
The
It is the responsibility of the host organization or institution to provide for an
instructional facilitator or proctor for the course or program. The host institution may
choose to use their own personnel or contract with the Center to provide those services.
The Center will have a limited number of individuals that may be available to serve as
instructional facilitators or proctors. If the host institution chooses to use a facilitator
provided by the Center, it will be charged according to the Facility Use and Equipment
Rental Rates. These charges will cover the entire number of hours that the room had
been reserved for.
There are two additional compressed video classrooms located in the Center.
These two classrooms contain equipment and furnishings belonging to Northwestern
State University.
OTHER LABORATORIES
As specific program needs are determined, it may be necessary to establish
additional specialized space in the Center. If it is determined that specialized space is
needed for a particular program, it will be understood that this space will be made
available to all organizations or institutions offering courses or programs in the facility.
Due to the very limited classroom space available in the Center, the policy is to limit
space dedicated to one institution and to equip and furnish that space for use by all
collaborative partners.
MARKETING
The Center publishes a schedule of academic credit course offerings each
semester. This publication includes the upcoming semester’s credit courses that will be
offered by all participating institutions. It includes registration information, contact
information, academic calendar, and the specific courses that will be offered. Please refer
to the Scheduling Section of the policy manual for dates for submission of courses to be
included in the publication.
Priority for listings in the publication will be given to those courses or programs
that are offered either live on-site or via compressed video at the Center. Should space
permit, notations may be made for on-line or web based courses offered by participating
institutions.
FACILITY USAGE FEES
CLASSROOM SPACE
Academic Credit Courses
In an effort to achieve the mission and goals of the Center and to position the
Center as an attractive facility for postsecondary institutions to offer credit courses and
programs, there will be no charges for rooms associated with the instructional delivery of
credit courses. There will also be no charges for multi-media equipment reserved for
instructional delivery. Please note the Equipment Reservation Guidelines that must be
followed in reserving any equipment for classroom use.
An exception to the foregoing policy relates to compressed video classes. There
will be no charges for compressed video classrooms or equipment associated with the
delivery of credit courses. There will, however, be charges associated with an
instructional facilitator or proctor. The Center will provide a technical facilitator for
compressed video classes. The responsibilities of the technical facilitator will include
testing, set-up, and on-site support of the compressed video equipment. The technical
facilitator will not be responsible for any instructional duties related to the course such as:
taking the class roll, proctoring tests, facilitating class paperwork, etc.
It will be the responsibility of the host institution to provide for an instructional
facilitator or proctor as necessary. The host institution may choose to provide a
facilitator or proctor or may choose to coordinate with the Center to provide that support.
The Center will strive to maintain a pool of instructional facilitators that may be called
upon to assist when necessary. If the host institution elects to use a facilitator provided
by the Center, they will be invoiced for these charges at the end of the course. Please
note the Facility Use and Equipment Rental Rates for facilitator fees.
Continuing Education and Non-Credit Courses
Facility use and equipment rental rates will apply to all activities with the
exception of credit courses and programs. These activities include but are not limited to
the following: continuing education programs, non-credit courses, non-credit certificate
programs, workforce development training programs, conferences, workshops, and
special events.
Please note the Facility Use and Equipment Rental Rates to determine costs
associated with non-credit course delivery.
OFFICE AND DEDICATED SPACE
The Center offers an array of office space which may be available for lease.
Current lease amounts can be obtained from the Dean. This rate also applies to any space
in the facility that has been designated for use by one organization or institution such as
compressed video classrooms, labs, etc. This charge will provide for the following:
custodial services, garbage pickup, utilities, pest control, facility maintenance, internet
access, library support staff, technical support staff, and main reception support staff.
This charge does not provide for office equipment such as copier, postage machine, fax,
computer, and telephone line and fax line access.
Organizations or institutions desiring office space or dedicated classroom space
must make a formal written request to the Dean. This request should include the
approximate square footage necessary for operation and any other special needs such as
reception areas, storage areas, etc. The Dean will evaluate the request and offer the
available space most suitable for the needs of the organization or institution.
Invoices for facility space will be prepared at the end of each month.
OFFICE EQUIPMENT AND TELEPHONE ACCESS
Office Equipment
Any organization or institution with space in the Center will be required to
provide all necessary equipment for office administrative purposes. It will be the
responsibility of the organization or institution to maintain and support this office
equipment. It is also the responsibility of the organization or institution to install fax
telephone line(s) and pay for monthly charges associated with these lines and any fax
machine.
Telephone Access
The Center offers a Comdial digital key telephone system. Organizations or
institutions can acquire telephone access for office space through this system. Special
telephone sets must be purchased to use with this system. This digital telephone system
will not support dial up access for personal computers. Charges associated with the
hardware and telephone usage will be invoiced to the organization or institution each
month. Current telephone hardware costs can be obtained from the Dean. Tenants of the
facility that utilize the Center’s telephone system will share in the cost of the current 12
telephone lines in the Comdial digital key system. Each telephone line includes
unlimited local area usage. Line charges will be pro-rated based on the number of staff.
Long distance charges will be billed each month based on the current state contract rate
for that service.
Any orders for telephone equipment, changes in location of existing equipment,
the addition of users to the system, acquisitions of long distance access codes, etc. must
be formally requested in writing to the Dean.
LEARNING CENTER FOR RAPIDES PARISH
Facility Use & Equipment Rental Fees
The Learning Center for Rapides Parish strives to cooperate with the Central Louisiana
region in the use of Center facilities. Due to the costs of utilities, labor, and other
overhead expenses, the following charges will help serve to defray the cost of operation
and maintenance expenses:
Please Note: ** Tech fee, facilitator fee, and equipment rental are not subject to fee
reduction.
Room Information
Price
Half Day - 4 hours or less
Full Day - Over 4 hours
The Regents Room
Includes:
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Room 161 for registration and/or catering
LCD projector and screen
Interactive presentation lectern with integrated
o Computer with high speed internet
access
o Laptop connections
o VCR/DVD
Three microphones (one wireless lapel mic,
one wireless handheld mic, and one wired
handheld mic)
1 easel with flip chart pad
One room setup
Video conferencing can be added for an
additional charge
Foyer Area
Foyer area at main entrance to building suitable for
event sponsor tables, exhibits, etc.
"Smart" Meeting Room
Includes:
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•
•
•
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Ceiling mounted LCD projector and screen
Computer with high speed internet access
Laptop Connection Option
Interactive presentation station
VCR/DVD
Document Camera
$ 180 per half day
$ 360 per full day
$ 540 per day Sat/Sun
$ 90.00
$ 100 per half day
$ 200 per full day
$ 300 per day Sat/Sun
Standard Meeting Room
$ 50 per half day
$ 100 per full day
$ 150 per day Sat/Sun
Computer Lab
$ 200 per half day
$ 400 per full day
$ 550 per day Sat/Sun
$ 60 fee for installing software
Science Laboratory
$ 50 per half day
$ 100 per full day
$ 150 per day Sat/Sun
$ 30 setup fee
plus $ 25 per hour equipment rental
plus room rental fees
plus IP connection charges
* IP Connectivity
$ 40 per hour
* VHS Recording Of Conference
$ 10 per tape
Setup fees, connectivity charges and VHS recording fees are not subject to any discounts.
Video Conferencing
(Video Conferencing rates are in addition to room
rental rates)
Equipment & Other Services
Equipment rental fees are not subject
to any discounts.
Additional room setup charge (includes rearranging
tables, chairs, moving equipment, etc.)
LCD Video Projector / Computer cart
$ 60 each setup
LCD Video Projector
Laptop Computer
TV & VCR/DVD
Overhead Projector
Portable Screen
Easel with flip-chart pad
Speakerphone
Tablecloth
Extension Cord
Facilitator/Proctor
Photocopies
Faxes
Postage
$ 50 per half day
$ 100 per full day
$ 25 per half day
$ 50 per full day
$ 25 per half day
$ 50 per full day
$ 25 per day
$ 25 per day
$ 20 per day
$ 10 per day
$ 60 per day plus long distance
$ 15 per day
$ 10 per day
$ 15 per hour
$ 0.10 per copy
$ 0.25 per page sent
Postage rate applies
The following rules may apply:
Fees may be reduced for any of the following functions:
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50% Discount - Any event hosted by a State of Louisiana Postsecondary Institution
25% Discount - Activities for educational purposes hosted by a Federal, State,
County, or City agency
25% Discount - Any event hosted by a Non-Profit or 501C3 organization
Events booked on holidays, after 5:00pm, or other non-business hours may be charged the
Sat/Sun fee.
Arrangements will be established prior to functions for serving refreshments.
College/University functions and/or activities will have priority on the use of facilities at all
times.
All groups will be responsible for damage to equipment and/or facilities.
Participants and/or sponsors of activities must abide by regulations of the Center – such as no
smoking, no alcoholic beverages, attaching information to wall, door, ceiling etc.
Absolutely NO equipment (especially lab equipment or audio visual equipment) should be
moved without prior approval of Learning Center staff.
The LCRP reserves the right to change the above listed rates at any time without any prior
notice given.
The LCRP maintains policies and procedures applying to accounts receivable. Any entity
renting a room or equipment from the LCRP should familiarize themselves with this policy.
The policy document can also be downloaded in Adobe PDF format from the LCRP web site
at http://www.TheLCRP.net.
State of Louisiana Board of Regents
Learning Center for Rapides Parish
Policies and Procedures for Accounts Receivable
Facility charges for events held at the Learning Center for Rapides Parish (LCRP) are quoted
based upon the type of room, number of participants, equipment needs, and classification of
sponsoring organization/entity.
College/University functions and/or activities are granted priority on use of the LCRP facilities at
all times. Therefore, room assignments may be adjusted prior to an engagement. In this case, the
organization sponsoring the event will be notified and appropriate signage will be posted to notify
participants of room changes in the building.
Activities are invoiced on the day of the event or at the end of events held for multiple days.
Payment is due upon receipt by check to the Board of Regents Learning Center for Rapides
Parish. Credit card payments are not accepted.
The LCRP reserves the right to deny future facility requests from organizations/entities with slow
or delinquent accounts unless documentation is received that payment is being processed.
Should an organization/entity question an invoice amount, the LCRP must be notified within ten
days of the invoice issue date. The amount in question will be reviewed by both parties. If it is
deemed a correction is necessary, a revised invoice will be issued immediately.
The LCRP reconciles its accounts receivables twice per month based upon the Accounts
Receivable Report received from Division of Administration. All accounts must be reconciled
within the fiscal year (July 1 through June 30) that an event was held.
The following action(s) will be taken if payment is not received in a timely manner:
Age of Accounts
1-30 days past due
31-60 days past due
61-90 days past due
91+ days past due
Outstanding Account Balance
Mail first past-due notice. Make phone contact and get a promise to
pay. E-mail reminder.
Mail second notice. Make phone contact and get a promise to pay. Email reminder. Refuse additional service to the delinquent debtor where
this does not conflict with Federal and State laws.
Mail third notice. Make phone contact, remind of broken promise, and
get a new promise to pay and send agreement confirmation.
Complete appropriate submittal forms and send to Office of the
Attorney General, or the agency legal counsel for collection.
SCHEDULING FACILITY USE
SCHEDULING ACADEMIC CREDIT COURSES
The Center will give priority to the scheduling of academic credit courses each
semester. In addition, any degree programs being offered at the Center will receive top
scheduling priority each semester.
Participating institutions that wish for their course schedules to be printed in the
Center publication each semester must submit all course schedule information well in
advance of the upcoming semester. Enough lead-time must be allowed for layout,
printing, and distribution of the publication.
Listed below are the approximate time periods during which course schedules will
be accepted in the Dean’s office. Official submission dates are approved prior to each
semester by the Instructional Advisory Council. No course schedules will be accepted
before the approved dates. If course schedules are submitted after the deadline for
submission, the information may not be printed in the Center’s publication.
Fall Semester:
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Schedules will be accepted beginning June 1.
Deadline for submission of schedules (to guarantee publication)
will be June 15.
Spring Semester:
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Schedules will be accepted beginning September 25.
Deadline for submission of schedules (to guarantee publication)
will be October 10.
Summer Semester:
•
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Schedules will be accepted beginning March 1.
Deadline for submission of schedules (to guarantee publication)
will be March 15.
All course schedule information must be submitted using the electronic Schedule
Planning Guide. Rooms will begin being assigned on the opening date for submission.
Rooms will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Since there are limited numbers of compressed video classrooms and computer
labs, scheduling conflicts could arise. Should scheduling conflicts arise, the Dean will
work with the institutions to try to accommodate all requests. It may be necessary to
explore various options such as changing days, times, etc. to meet the needs of all
institutions. Following the deadline for submission of course schedules, all available
rooms will be placed in a pool and will be available for scheduling for other courses or
programs.
There may be occasions during a semester when an instructor would like to meet
a class in another room for a limited time period, such as computer lab, library, science
lab, compressed video classroom, etc. In order to schedule time in a room other than the
room assigned for a course, the instructor should complete the Equipment/Special Room
Request Form. The Center will try to accommodate all such requests.
Multi-Purpose Room 164 will be reserved for conferences, workshops, and
special events and will not be available for credit courses except in emergency situations.
SCHEDULING NON-CREDIT COURSES OR OTHER ACTIVITIES
Any requests for facility use (with the exception of the semester credit course
offerings) must be done in writing to the Dean on a Room Request Form. The Dean will
seek to accommodate these requests on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please refer to the
Facility Use and Equipment Rental Rates information for charges that may be associated
with these activities.
INSTRUCTIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL
PURPOSE
The purpose of the Instructional Advisory Council is to advise and recommend policies
and procedures which concern the mission and programs of the Learning Center for
Rapides Parish.
ORGANIZATION
The Council membership shall consist of the following:
1)
2)
3)
Any public postsecondary institution domiciled in Region 6
Any postsecondary institution that is a member of the Louisiana Association
of Independent Colleges and Universities (LAICU) domiciled in Region 6
Any other postsecondary institution that is offering academic credit courses in
the Center during the semester in which the meetings are scheduled
The institution head, or their designee, from each member institution will comprise the
membership of the Instructional Advisory Council. The Dean of the Learning Center for
Rapides Parish shall serve as an ex-officio member of the Council and will function as
the administrative liaison.
The Advisory Council shall meet bimonthly on a date specified by the Council.
Additional meetings may be scheduled as deemed necessary by the Council.
REGIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL
PURPOSE
The purpose of the Regional Advisory Council is to provide public input for the planning,
development, and assessment of programs and services provided at the Learning Center
for Rapides Parish. The objectives of the Council shall include, but are not limited to:
•
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Continuously assessing educational needs throughout Region 6
Recommending programs of study addressing those needs
Promoting the Center throughout Region 6
Recommending improvements in facilities, policies, and programs
MEMBERSHIP*
The Council shall consist of eighteen members as follows:
1. Executive Director (or appointed staff) of England Authority
2. Executive Vice-President (or appointed staff) of the Central Louisiana Chamber
of Commerce
3. Publisher (or appointed staff) of the Alexandria Town Talk
4. President/CEO (or appointed staff) of the Rapides Foundation
5. Employee of the Rapides Parish School System (appointed by the Rapides Parish
School Board)
6. Representative of the Rapides Parish Police Jury (appointed by CEO/President)
7. Representative of the Alexandria City Council (appointed by City Council
Chairperson)
8. Representative of the City of Pineville (appointed by Mayor)
9. Business/Industry Representative (100+ employees) (appointed from Chamber of
Commerce membership by Chamber of Commerce President)
10. Business/Industry Representative (<100 employees) (appointed from Chamber of
Commerce membership by Chamber of Commerce President)
11. Representative of Junior League of Alexandria (appointed by the President)
12. Seven At-Large members appointed by the Board of Regents.
Should a member of the Advisory Council be unable to complete a term, the organization
or the appointing entity of that member shall select another person to complete that term.
_________________________
*Initial appointments to be staggered to assure continuity of the Council.
OFFICERS
The officers shall consist of the chairperson and the immediate past chairperson. The
chairperson shall be selected by the Council. The term of office of the chairperson shall
be one year, beginning July 1 and ending June 30, or until his or her successor is selected.
No chairperson shall serve more than two consecutive terms.
The duties of the chairperson shall be to call meetings of the Council, to chair the
meetings, and approve the meeting agenda.
The Dean of the Learning Center, or his or her representative, shall attend all the
meetings of the Advisory Council and provide administrative support for the Council.
MEETINGS/ATTENDANCE
Since the Learning Center operates on a July 1-June 30 fiscal year, the Regional
Advisory Council for the Learning Center will meet on the third Thursday of the month
during the following months – July, September, November, February and April.
The primary (but not exclusive) purpose of those meetings is as follows:
July – First meeting of new year (for new members), election of chairperson,
fall schedule distribution; Summer enrollment update
September – Fall semester enrollment update
November – Spring schedule distribution and preview
February – Spring semester update
April – Summer schedule distribution and preview
Each Regional Advisory Council member must attend at least three (3) meetings per
fiscal year, and should not miss two (2) meetings in a row. Those who are in standing
positions or who are appointed (i.e., non at-large members) may designate a
representative to attend meetings in their place. Any member who is unable to meet these
attendance requirements will forfeit their position on the Council membership roster.
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EQUIPMENT RESERVATION GUIDELINES
Because of the unique characteristics of the Learning Center for Rapides Parish, security of the
media equipment is everyone’s responsibility and is a constant concern. Equipment policies and
procedures have been put in place to assure that all media equipment is safe from misuse,
damage, or theft.
All faculty and staff members must indicate that they have read and understand these guidelines
by signing below before they will be permitted to reserve equipment.
Checkout Guidelines
The following guidelines are to insure that you receive the equipment you request at the time and
date you specify:
Please make your requests as far in advance as possible. Requests for media equipment
will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis from the available equipment.
Fill out and submit an “Equipment Reservation Form.” Forms are available from each
institutional representative and from the main office for the Learning Center. Instructions
for submitting are included on the form.
Equipment will be delivered and set up by the IT Department staff or other Board of
Regents employed Learning Center staff.
After use, equipment will be picked up from the designated room. DO NOT MOVE
EQUIPMENT TO ANOTHER LOCATION.
Equipment other than laptop computers will be checked out only to faculty and staff
members. Requests for student use of equipment other than laptops MUST be completed
by a faculty or staff member and that person becomes responsible for the equipment.
Students enrolled in courses offered at the Learning Center can check out laptop
computers at the main office. Picture ID will be required and will be held while the
laptop is checked out.
No equipment is allowed to leave the Learning Center building at any time unless
authorized by the Dean or IT Department.
If the equipment delivered is not working, please notify the IT Department immediately.
To know the availability of equipment before sending in a request form, or for any other
questions regarding the available equipment, contact the IT Department.
I have read and understand the above guidelines. My signature indicates agreement with these
guidelines. I also understand that any violation of the above guidelines may result in automatic
denial of future equipment requests.
Print Name: __________________________________ Date:______________________
Signature:_______________________________________________________________
Faculty/Staff member of:___________________________________________________
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