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 page.
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.
NOTE: For information about required Student Disclosures, select Student Consumer Information Disclosures
Sometimes students have complaints about University services, employees, and/or offices. If you are a student and have a complaint that does not fall into one of the other categories listed below, please complete this form, and we will respond to your complaint.
Click here to review a copy of the policy
If you have a complaint that is not resolved by the parties involved, you may file a grievance.
There are two types of grievances, informal grievances, and formal grievances.
Most types of dissatisfaction can be resolved through an informal face-to-face discussion between the people involved, and students should typically start with this strategy. If that discussion is not satisfactory, the student should next try to discuss the matter with that person’s immediate supervisor (e.g., chair of an academic department, the director of a university service office, etc.). For appropriate contacts, please click here. If the concerns are more serious or are not resolved informally, students may exercise formal grievance and appeals processes.
Some situations always lead to a formal process: grade appeals (see the Office of the Provost’s page for details); appeals originating in the student judicial council and/or the Office of the Dean of Students; and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
These formal grievances always involve submission of a written grievance and various steps through the process. For these situations, students should follow the procedures included in the links below:
The SACSCOC contact information is below:
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
1866 Southern Lane Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097
Phone: (404) 679-4500
Fax: (404) 679-4558
[The University of Southern Mississippi has a number of programs that are accredited by professional, discipline-specific accrediting bodies. Accredited programs at USM are listed at https://www.usm.edu/about/accreditation. Contact the Office of the Provost for additional information on program accreditation.]
Please review the MCCA Student Complaint Process.
The MCCA contact information is below
Menia Dykes
3825 Ridgewood Road
Jackson, MS 39211-6453
Telephone: 601.432.6372
Fax: 601.432.6225
mdykes@mississippi.edu
If your complaint has been escalated through the grievance and appeal process and
cannot be resolved, please review these points of escalation applicable to students
taking online courses from outside of the state of Mississippi. Please note matters
regarding grades and conduct cannot be escalated beyond the institutional level.
Menia Dykes
Director of Accreditation
Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning
3825 Ridgewood Road
Jackson, MS 39211
601.432.6372
State Agencies
If an issue cannot be resolved institutionally, students residing outside the state of Mississippi who do not reside in a SARA member state may file a complaint about The University of Southern Mississippi with their State by referring to the list of State Agencies on the U.S. Department of Education website. For a list of SARA member states, see the SARA States & Institution page.
Mississippi Virtual Community College (MSVCC)
Student with a Private Student Loan
Current Student Receiving Federal Financial Aid