Concerned About a Student

If You Are Concerned About a Student: 

For any concern about a student, whether academic or co-curricular, faculty/staff should log into the portal and complete a Care Report.

The Care Report Public Report Form: uarts.edu/concern

Any member of the UArts community who is concerned about a student's health or well-being is encouraged to contact Student Affairs to discuss their concerns. Any concern that is reported to Student Affairs will be handled with the utmost care and sensitivity, but will also be investigated fully in order to determine the appropriate follow-up that needs to occur. Here are a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that will help aid in your decision about reporting a student concern.

What constitutes a concern about a student?
Concerns about a student can range from missing class to a change in attitude to the death of a family member or thoughts of suicide. It also covers traumatic events that may have occurred, such as a sexual assault, car accident, etc. Regardless, we always tell students, family members and faculty and staff to trust their instincts. If they think something is wrong, let us know so we can check in on the student and provide support resources, as needed.

When should I contact the Student Affairs Office as opposed the Counseling Center?
Students are encouraged to contact the Counseling Center to seek help with addressing concerns and to use walk-in hours Monday-Friday from 11am-1pm when school is in session. Our Counseling Center is located in Gershman Hall 205 and licensed staff are trained to respond to a myriad of student issues. However, some concerns - whether personal, academic, or even financial - can also be helped by contacting Student Affairs to be pointed in the right direction. 

How do I contact the Student Affairs Office?
For all questions and guidance, call 215-717-6617, Monday-Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm, our staff will relay your concern to the appropriate staff member.

What if I have a concern after hours?
Our Public Safety staff is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, regardless of whether school is in session or not. Public Safety can be reached via phone at (215) 717-6666. There is also a Professional On Duty, a staff member from Student Affairs, that Public Safety can access to help deal with any crisis situation.

Can I make a report anonymously?
Once a concern about a student is submitted, our goal is to investigate the situation fully and to ensure the safety of the individual student and the overall community. When meeting with a student, we generally do not mention specific individuals who brought forth the complaint, unless that individual asks that we do.  Our experience is that a concern in one area is shown in many areas so during the investigation, many reports come forward.

Will the student get in trouble?
Our number one goal is to ensure that each student is able to be successful and the safety of the community is not compromised. Students are not punished for being in crisis - quite the contrary. Our role is to have students look critically at a situation that they are struggling with and deal with it head on. This can lead to some specific things they need to complete in order to stay at the University. This is always for their benefit and if necessary, a plan is worked out in conjunction with them.

What about confidentiality?
One of the most important things to us is student privacy. We will always protect a student's privacy and only share relevant information with appropriate staff if the student or the community is at risk. 

Can I contact the office with questions without giving specifics?
Our office is here to assist students, by sharing information about the issue or concern we can provide support through many channels - Counseling, Health, Academic Advising, Campus Life staff, etc.