Services

SERVICES FOR STUDENTS

All registered UCF students can schedule an appointment with a Student Care Services staff for a variety of reasons and needs, including but not limited to mental health, physical health, personal and family emergencies, financial issues or other areas of concern.  Students can also be referred to meet with an SCS staff for a variety of reasons related to these concerns. Students can expect the following during their meeting:

  • Assessment of the type of assistance and resources needed
  • Assistance with accessing on-campus and off-campus services
  • Identifying support systems and removing obstacles that prevent personal or academic success
  • Follow up to ensure that the care plan created is able to help the student stay on track

In addition, Student Care Services also provides the following wrap-around support for students:

Class Absence Notifications

Unforeseen events or circumstances may occur that cause a student to be absent from class. These could include illness, bereavement, accident, or a catastrophic event such as fire. If such issues arise, students are encouraged to notify their instructors as soon as possible in order to apprise them of the circumstances leading to their absence from classes and to develop a plan, with a timetable, to make up missed coursework. Students may be asked to provide documentation to provide perspective that the class absence is warranted. Instructors are expected to make reasonable accommodations for these class absences including administration of make-up assignments and exams whenever possible.

Family members and/or students should also contact Student Care Services.
After receiving appropriate documentation, we can send a courtesy class absence notification to faculty informing them of a student’s current situation and the period of time the student is anticipating missing class. This memorandum does not necessarily constitute an excused absence. It is strongly recommended that students alert their academic advisor as well to notify them of the circumstances and discuss potential next steps with them.

Students are encouraged to contact a SCS staff if they need additional follow up assistance with a class absence notification.

Request A Class Absence Notice

Title IX Remedial and Protective Measures

The University will address all safety, emotional, and physical well-being concerns for individuals involved in sexual misconduct and/or interpersonal violence incidents. Interim protective measures may be imposed regardless of whether formal disciplinary action is sought. Interim protective measures include but are not limited to:

  • No contact orders
  • Counseling services and assistance setting up an initial appointment
  • Alternative course completion options
  • Potential housing relocation
  • Letters of support
  • Escort/transportation to ensure safe movement between classes and activities

Foster Care and Homeless Students

Student Care Services provides support services supporting the student success and well-being of youth who experience foster care, relative care, adopted, or homelessness.  Student Care Services focuses on the student’s well-being and providing support services to encourage the completion of college. We engage in impactful practices, processes and programs which enhance the student experience and overall student success. More information can be found here.

Student Death Response

The death of a UCF student, faculty, or staff member is a tragedy for the family and friends of the deceased and also a special loss for the University community as well. Student Care Services oversees the coordinated response of University departments, upon receiving a death notification. The University has established protocol to respond to the death of a continuously enrolled student, as defined in the UCF undergraduate catalog as “being enrolled in classes without a break for two or more consecutive regular semesters/terms.”

If you become aware of a student death, please contact the Associate Vice President and Dean of Students Office at 407-823-6960, or complete a Student of Concern Form.

The Eternal Knights Memorial Service honors students who have passed away during recent academic terms. This ceremony enables families and friends to join with campus leaders and members of the University of Central Florida community in a solemn tribute to their loved ones. Student Care Services, a part of the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities, assists with support and resources for all student deaths documented with the university, including alumni and those not considered continuously enrolled.

Student Grief and Bereavement Resources

The University of Central Florida is a caring community committed to student success. UCF recognizes the impact that a loss of a family, friend or loved one may have on the emotional and academic well-being of a student and wishes to support the student during these distressing times. UCF also understands that grief impacts every student differently and, therefore, these resources are not an attempt to quantify the impact of the death of a loved one or in any way address the nature of the grief process. Rather, the purpose of the below resources are to allow grieving students access to support that may be valuable in assisting them navigate through any grief or loss they experience during their time as a UCF student. More information can be found at https://scs.sdes.ucf.edu/grief-and-bereavement/.

Current  Student Care Services Teams

Homeless Student Team

The purpose of this team is to screen students who complete the Homelessness Waiver in order to determine if they meet waiver qualifications and to make recommendations of appropriate assistance for student success.

Goals

  1. Assess the student’s eligibility for the homelessness waiver
  2. Make a recommendation to Student Account Services
  3. Provide the student with additional on-campus and off-campus resources associated with financial aid, academic support, employment, and housing accommodations

Criteria for determining eligibility for homelessness waiver are monitored by Student Account Services. Additional information about tuition eligibility requirements is found under Florida Statutes Chapter 1009.25(2)(f)

Please contact SCS staff at 407-823-5607 if you have questions about eligibility for this waiver.

Student of Concern Team

The Student of Concern Team’s purpose is to assist the Student Care Services Staff with appropriate responses to concerns for a university community member who may be in distress or who is exhibiting signs of troubling behavior to others. The team meets regularly triage cases and offering support and guidance before more serious issues surface.

The team assesses all information to facilitate consistent and comprehensive university responses to specific, critical student, faculty, and staff concerns. If the team determines the person to be engaging in behavior that may pose a threat of harm or danger to the individual or the university community, the SOCT may recommend the concern to the University Crisis Team.

The SOCT is comprised of representatives from multiple offices across campus including the following: Counseling Center, Student Rights and Responsibilities, Housing and Residence Life, University Police, Student Health Services, Student Accessibility Services, Student Conduct, Academic Advising, and Academic Services.

University Crisis Team

The Crisis Team is composed of the following persons and/or their designee(s): Student Health Services Director, Counseling Center Director, Associate Director of Safety and Security for University Police, Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities,  Student Conduct Representative, Associate Dean for Academic Services and the Director of Housing and Residence Life.

The University may refer students who are viewed to be engaging in behavior that poses risk to themselves or others to the Crisis Team for possible action. Such behaviors include, but are not limited to, suicidal behavior, self-injury, threats to harm others, disruptive behavior, disordered eating, and endangerment to the community.

Various campus units may enlist the services of the Team. These include Housing and Residence Life, Student Health Services, Student Accessibility Services, Recreation and Wellness Services, Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, Athletics, and Health Promotions, University Police and Student Conduct. In the event that a student’s behavior raises concern about risk of danger to self or others, the involved unit will contact the Interim Dean of Students.  Student Care Services, in consultation with the Interim Dean of Students, will then contact Crisis Team members to convene a meeting in order to review the case and decide on the best course of action.

The role of the Student Health Services Director and the Counseling Center Director on the Crisis Team will be consultative in nature. When possible, the Student Health Services Director and the Counseling Center Director will not confer on a case for which they are (or have been) serving in a direct provider relationship with the involved student. When the involved student has been a client at the UCF Counseling and Psychological Services, the Director will maintain the confidentiality of the student’s clinical information and will make recommendations for action based solely upon the information provided in the Crisis Team meeting.