Faculty & Staff FAQs

Yes, the Faculty Folder is a resource guide that provides information to help faculty address student concerns that may occur within the learning environment. This guide is designed to help faculty navigate appropriate steps in responding to student concerns. If you have any questions or need additional support, please contact the Office of Advocacy and Success at 864-656-0935.

2021-2022 Faculty Folder

When a student misses class without notifying you, we ask that you first make sure the student is still registered for the course through IROAR. If the student is still registered for the course, then attempt to contact the student by phone and/or email. If you do not receive a timely response from the student, please consider filing a CARE report. View our homepage and click on the link for “faculty and staff” to begin that process.

1. Contact the Clemson University Police Department (CUPD) at 864-656-2451 or dial 911.

2. Seek medical care by dialing 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

3. Contact the Office of Access and Equity at 864-656-3181 to report to Clemson University’s Title IX Coordinator. Remember, any and ALL university employees (including contractors and temporary employees) are mandated by federal law to report when they learn a student is being harassed or has been assaulted. The Title IX Education Amendment of 1972 mandates you to report to Clemson University’s Title IX Coordinator immediately.

If you also have concerns for the student’s safety or personal well being, it is recommended you first contact CUPD at 864-656-2222 and/or Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at 864-656-2451.

If you are unsure whether or not the information is something you are required to report, please contact The Office of Access and Equity at 864-656-3181 to inquire about that, as they are the best resource to guide you correctly. We have often encountered situations with students where they ask for confidentiality for information that we cannot legally keep confidential, but are mandated by federal law to report. When those situations occur, we strive to be completely honest and transparent with the student by informing them we must report the information and educating them as to why we must do so.

The Clemson University Police Department (CUPD) is entrusted with the demanding responsibility of providing a safe and secure living, working and learning environment for Clemson University. This is accomplished through several activities undertaken by law enforcement professionals and support personnel. In addition to enforcing the law, CUPD sometimes also collaborates with the Office of Community and Ethical Standards (OCES) to assist in enforcing the Student Code of Conduct, as necessary. CUPD is also a very valuable resource for consultation, guidance and collaboration. Sometimes CUPD partners with other departments, such as Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Residential Living and many others environment, and to help ensure the personal safety and coordinate the care for students undergoing medical, psychological and/or behavioral emergencies. For any situation that warrants immediate attention or where there is threat of harm to oneself or others, please dial 911 or contact CUPD at 864-656-2222. If you have established the situation does not warrant immediate assistance or intervention and there is no threat of harm to anyone, yet you are still uncertain if CUPD should be contacted, please contact our office to consult by calling 864-656-0935.

Common signs of distress can include:

• Anxiety

• Apathy

• Sadness

• Irritability

• Lack of motivation

• Lack of concentration or change in attentiveness

• Social withdrawal

• Change in weight or physical appearance

• Fatigue or dozing off in class

• Any other notable change in attitude or behavior.

If possible, try talking to the student privately about your concern for them if you are comfortable doing so. Also consider walking them over to Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) located at Student Health Services. You may also consider filing a CARE report if there is no emergency or the situation does not require immediate attention.

Psychological emergencies may include the following signs or symptoms:

• Any threat of harm to oneself or others (verbal, written, or otherwise)

• Confusion or disorientation

• Loss of contact with reality (seeing/hearing things that are not there, paranoia)

• For consultation in assessing the situation and responding appropriately, call Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at 864-656-2451. If the emergency is after hours/weekends, contact the Clemson University Police Department (CUPD) at  864-656-2222 and request that the CAPS counselor on-call be contacted

In a psychological emergency, filing a CARE report is not an appropriate step as the Office of Advocacy and Success does not provide emergency or psychological assistance and does not review CARE reports outside of business hours.

The student body is increasingly diverse and multicultural with over 90 countries represented amongst current and graduated students. Differences in students affect the academic while respect for differences is expected, the effectiveness of the teaching environment must be maintained. If a student’s behavior is significantly disruptive and the student does not respond to feedback, please contact The Clemson University Police Department (CUPD) at 864-656-2222.  If the disruptive behavior is in violation of the Student Code of Conduct, then contact The Office of Community and Ethical Standards (OCES) at 864-656-0510 or file an Incident Report through the OCES website. Any behavior that is out of the norm for the person, the situation, or the circumstances could indicate an emergency and that intervention is needed. Psychological and/or medical issues can present themselves as a behavioral problem or emergency. For consultation in assessing the situation and responding appropriately, call Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at 864-656-2451, the Clemson University Police Department (CUPD) at 864-656-2222, or the Office of Advocacy and Success (OAS) at 864-656-0935.

The staff of the Office of Advocacy and Success (OAS) strives to advocate for students as they pursue academic and personal success by supporting them and their best interests. We are located in 202 Hendrix Student Center off McMillan Road. We urge you to call us at 864-656-0935 and schedule an appointment. Scheduling an appointment will help ensure that we will have plenty of time to listen to your concern and help you develop strategies to resolve whatever problems you might be experiencing. Even if you're not sure we can help, you can still CONTACT US!

Some available resources are listed below with contact information where available:

• Office of Advocacy and Success Staff

• Counseling and Psychological Services

• University Ombuds

• Student Health Services

• The Office of Undergraduate Studies

• The Graduate School

• College Advising Centers

• College Deans and Associate Deans

Concerned about a current student?

There are many people and departments who serve as resources to students at Clemson University. You can always contact a Residence Life staff member, Counseling and Psychological Services, or the Office of Advocacy and Success to get advice on how to handle a concern about another student. In situations that do NOT require immediate attention or are not emergent in nature, you may also file a CARE report. 

Student has been involved in an accident, illness or other family emergency?

When the Office of Advocacy and Success (OAS) is made aware that a student is injured or critically ill, OAS is responsible for establishing contact with the hospital, the student, and/or the student's family in order to provide resources and support.  

In the case of a student death, please call the Clemson University Police Department (CUPD) at  864-656-2222  immediately. The Office of Advocacy and Success will work to provide support to family and friends impacted by the student death.  

Please contact us by calling 864-656-0935. We would love to discuss your request so we can be sure to provide the most appropriate and effective training to meet your needs.

The CARE Report is designed to be an entry point for concerns regarding current Clemson students. It is also to be used only for non-emergency matters or concerns. However, this does NOT mean ALL CARE reports filed are most appropriately handled by staff in the Office of Advocacy and Success (OAS) or by our CARE team partners. Generally, reports of potential health or safety concerns, misconduct by any one student or student organization, Title IX related matters, bias incidents, risk to campus or community safety, etc., require the expertise of another department. Some of the departments we often work with are: 

Office of Community and Ethical Standards (OCES)

Office of Access and Equity

The Clemson University Police Department (CUPD)

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)

1. Notification of Absences – We DO NOT excuse absences under any circumstance or even have the authority to do so. We merely provide a mechanism to support student communication about absences when they are unable to notify professors themselves. We always encourage students to openly communicate with professors when missing class and about any missed assignments.  
2. Request for Verification of Class Attendance – Typically we send these requests in response to a concern for the student expressed by another member of our community.  Receiving a quick response is often requested and greatly appreciated, as it helps us to serve the student more quickly and thoroughly.
3. Request for assistance in supporting a student following a significant personal incident – Please note that we DO NOT request formal accommodations of any kind for students.  Formal accommodations would be done through Student Accessibility Services (SAS) according to the policy they have in place.