Division of Student Affairs
CARES
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Report Your Concern
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For any other questions, email complianceFREEMississippi or call 601.266.4469.
Learn About the Campus Action Referral and Evaluation System (CARES)
HOW CAN CARES HELP?
CARES include a team of campus professionals who quickly connect students to resources that address student concerns related to both academics and health.
WHAT TYPES OF SITUATIONS ARE ADDRESSED?
CARES addresses situations that disrupt the safe and productive living and learning community, including, but not limited to, self-harm, family difficulties, stress management, mental health concerns, addictions, Code of Conduct violations, Title IX issues, Clery Act related issues and/or issues of academic integrity (e.g. plagiarism).
WHICH POLICIES OR LAWS RELATE TO CARES?
For a list of policies and laws related to the types of issues that CARES helps address, please review the Policies and Procedures page.
Submit a Complaint
Making a complaint allows you to bring something you're aware of that you don't think is right to the attention of the right people. This may be anything from parking issues to faculty conduct to building maintenance.
When you fill out a complaint form, it will be forwarded to whichever office on campus is responsible for oversight. You may or may not receive a written response, but your complaint will be considered.
File an Appeal
An appeal is a formal request asking for a change in a decision that has been made. Appeals occur after an action has been taken against a person that the person believes is unfair or a violation of their rights
Appeal processes vary, and are governed by different rules and requirements.
Below is a list of appeal processes at Southern Miss with links to instructions. Be sure to read the instructions carefully and follow the outlined procedures. If you need help filing an appeal, contact the Dean of Student's Office for someone to help walk you through the process.
- Academic Integrity Appeal
- Academic Status Appeal
- Admissions Appeal
- Financial Aid Excessive Hours Appeal
- Financial Aid Suspension Appeal
- Grade Appeal
- Graduate School Appeals
- Library Fine Appeals
- Parking Ticket or Traffic Citation Appeal
- Residence Life Housing Contract Appeal
- Residence Life Conduct Appeal
- Scholarship Cancellation Appeal
- Sexual Misconduct, Sexual Assault & Sexual Harassment Appeal
- Student Code of Conduct Violation Appeal
- Tuition Refund Appeal
Share a Concern
File a CARES Report
If you have a concern about a current USM student (undergraduate or graduate) or yourself and feel the individual may need some help, you can file a CARES report. When you file a report, someone from your professional CARES team will reach out to the person to make sure they are okay and, if necessary, help connect them with resources.
Please note submissions are monitored Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., when the University is open. If this is an emergency, please call 911 or University Police at 601-266-4986.
If you have a concern about a current faculty or staff member, please contact the Office of Human Resources.
Southern Miss is known for being a caring and friendly campus. If you see someone who needs help, let us know!
The CARES team addresses issues including (but not limited to):
- self-harm
- family difficulties
- stress management
- mental health
- addictions
Report an Academic Concern
Submit a report for a current Southern Miss undergraduate showing signs of academic distress, including excessive absences, multiple missed assignments, or the need for skill development. A member of the Academic Concerns Reporting Team will contact the student within 24 hours.
Report an Academic Integrity Violation
Please use the link below to report potential academic integrity cases that violate the University’s Academic Integrity Policy. The University will use these reports to identify areas in which additional student education is needed as well as to track repeat offenders across units and schools. Questions? Contact the Academic Integrity Officer or Coordinator at 601-266-5995 or 601-266-4199 or email integrityFREEMississippi.%C2%A0
Report an Academic Integrity Violation
Report an Ethics Concern
You can discreetly and confidentially report activities that may involve criminal or unethical actions using Ethics•Point, our secure external site for anonymously reporting a range of ethical violations and misconduct.
Ethical violations include, but are not limited to:
- Code of Conduct violations
- Title IX issues
- Clery Act-related issues
Request a Service
Request for Academic Notification
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 Student Outreach and Support for assistance by filling out the Request for Academic Notification.
Request Pregnancy/Childbirth Accommodations
Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education and in programs and activities that receive federal funding including:
- pregnancy
- false pregnancy
- termination of pregnancy
- recovery from above listed medical conditions
A pregnant or parenting student has the right to stay in school so they can meet their educational goals. For more information about the types of accommodations available, please contact the Office for Disability Accommodations.
For more information about pregnancy-related accommodations, please read the Pregnant and Parenting Student Rights section of the Title IX resources page.
Request pregnancy related accommodations