Division of Student Affairs
Division of Student Affairs
WHAT IS THE MISSION OF CARES (Campus Action Referral and Evaluation System)?
USM CARES is a team of campus professionals who respond to reports of concern regarding the academic progress and well-being of students.
HOW CARES CAN HELP?
By using this portal, you enable CARES to proactively respond to concerns about any disruption to a safe and productive living and learning community. We reach out to students quickly and make sure they connect with the resources useful in their situation. We address issues including (but not limited to) situations of self-harm, family difficulties, stress management, mental health concerns, academic performance problems, addictions, Code of Conduct violations, Title IX issues, Clery Act related issues and/or issues of academic integrity (e.g. plagiarism).
For a list of policies and laws related to the types of issues that CARES helps address, please review the Policies and Procedures page.
To report any concerns about the behavior or personal well-being of students, click the button below. If your concern is purely academic (excessive absences, poor performance) without any knowledge of personal well-being issues, please follow your department's policy and procedure regarding academic issues.
The University is tracking cases related to academic integrity to better determine (1) where more education might be needed, and/or (2) where individual students are involved in multiple violations.
Violations of the University’s academic integrity policy that result in a change to any student grade should be reported using this form.
This form provides an avenue for all faculty, staff, and students to report non-emergency incidents to the Dean of Students Office.
Incidents may include (but are not limited to):
Reports will be responded to within 3 business days. If you have any questions regarding any incident please contact the Dean of Students office via phone by calling 601.266.6028, via email dosFREEMississippi or by stopping by Room 231 of the R. C. Cook Union.
Employees have a duty to report any incident of sexual misconduct, such as sexual harassment or assault to the Title IX Coordinator. See the Sexual Misconduct, Sexual Assault, and Sexual Harassment Policy. For information about the procedures that apply to resolving reports of the occurrence of such matters, see the Procedures for the Resolution of Allegations of Sexual Misconduct, Sexual Assault, and Sexual Harassment policy.
Please click below to provide information regarding any situation involving sexual misconduct, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, or sexual assault:
Under Federal Law (The Clery Act), the University is required to report annual statistics for crime and safety on campus. If you have an emergency situation, please call 911. Persons designated as Campus Security Authorities (CSAs) are required to report certain illegal conduct. If you are a designated CSA who is aware of criminal activity and it is not an emergency, please click below to report the incident or behavior.
Students are responsible for attending class and acknowledging absences to their professor pursuant to the terms of the class attendance policy set forth in the syllabus. If a professor requests that you have absences authenticated, contact the Office of Student Ombudsman Services for assistance by filling out the Request for Academic Notification. For more information about the Office of Student Ombudsman Services, click here.
Students requesting disability accommodations should contact the Office of Disability Accommodations: see contact information below. Need more information, review the Pregnant and Parenting Student Rights information.
Mr. Scott Dossett
Director, Office of Disability Accommodation
Bond Hall 144, Hattiesburg Campus, Campus Box 8586
Scott.DossettFREEMississippi%20
601.266.5024
If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Compliance and Ethics at 601-266-4466 or click the button to email.