Supporting Students in the College of Education

See below for guidance on how to request support for a student you are concerned about and how to begin collaboration with the Office of Student Services using the OSS Student Support Request.

Student Support at the Office of Student Services

The Office of Student Services (OSS) is a resource to students, staff, and faculty, in supporting the wide variety of personal and academic student concerns within the college. The OSS staff works in collaboration with the college’s students, staff, and faculty to create resolutions for student success. These resolutions sometimes include external outreach to the wide variety of student support services across campus, including the UW Student Care Team. Student concerns can be communicated to our office by students, staff, faculty, and members of the broader student community.

If you have concerns about a student in the College we ask that you complete an OSS Student Support Request to begin communication with us. The OSS Staff will work with you to identify next steps!

When to Communicate with the Office of Student Services

We ask that you communicate with us anytime you are concerned about a student or feel a student could use support. We intend to serve as a resource in finding appropriate resources and resolutions for our students. Some reasons to outreach include but are not limited to:

There is concern that a student may not successfully complete a course*
Concern about a student’s well-being (for concerns about mental and physical health, or disruptive/unusual behaviors, see also the notes below about the UW Care Team)
Student requires academic assistance beyond your scope*
Student requires personal support & resources
Unresolved X or I grades (especially for students in their final quarter)
Consultation about options to provide flexibility within courses/programs of study
General concern about a student’s ability to complete their program
Concern about an academic student employee’s progress (TA/RA/GSA, Reader/Grader, Etc.)

* Please note that OSS staff are not able to assist with matters related to progress within a course (e.g. contacting students about missing assignments); but please do contact us if there is any pattern of concern related to a student's well-being or overall academic success.

In addition to the OSS student support team, some student experiences can be addressed by the UW Student Care Team. While we ask that your first step be to communicate to the OSS team, we also encourage thoughtful use of the UW Care Report. The UW Student Care Team is made up of representatives from the following offices:

Community Standards & Student Conduct, the Counseling Center, Disability Resources for Students, Hall Health Mental Health Clinic, Health & Wellness, the Office of the Vice President for Student Life, Residential Life, SafeCampus, Undergraduate Academic Affairs and UWPD.

It is important to note that this reporting tool is not directly linked to the work we do here in OSS. Although we may be outreached to in supporting the student, we will not receive a copy of your Care Report submission. In certain cases, OSS staff may elevate student expereinces to the UW Student Care Team as well.

Reasons to submit a Care Report to the UW Student Care Team (includes but not limited to):

Concern about a non-CoE student (e.g. a student declared in another major or college)
Concern for student’s well-being
Significant change in student’s behavior
Disruptive behaviors of learning, living, or work environment
A noticeable change from socially-appropriate behavior
Disclosing distressing life circumstances (e.g., finances, family or relationship)
Withdrawal from usual social interactions
Significant decline in personal hygiene
Substance use/abuse
Severe homesickness

When to contact SafeCampus

If you have a concern about violence, suicidal ideation or sexual assault or sexual misconduct, or would like to speak with someone right now or outside of business hours, please call SafeCampus. Professionals trained in threat assessment, crisis response, and fear de-escalation are available 24/7 at (206) 685-SAFE (7233).

When to Seek Emergency Services

If you know a student is having an emergency or you are concerned the student is a danger to self, others, or the campus community, please consider the situation critially and seek the appropriate emergency services. 9-1-1 is the most common emergency response but may not always be what is best. 2-1-1 is available in Washington State to help with health and human service needs.