Care and Support: FAQS

General FAQs

I am a family member/faculty/staff/friend/etc. and I have concerns for a student here at UVA. What should I do? 

• If the concerns are immediate safety concerns, please dial 911. If you have a non-emergency concern for a student please call Care and Support Services at 434-924-7133. Or, email us at [email protected].
• The more information our office has, the better- please say all you are able, tell us everything about the situation.

Do I need an appointment to visit Care and Support Services? 

No! While appointments are appreciated, walk-ins are welcome! 

What does Care and Support Services do?

CASS provides inclusive support for all students with unmet needs to increase students’ ability to identify, reduce, and navigate barriers to their growth and well-being. This is done by providing direct student services and programming, and by creating and expanding support infrastructures.  

Is Care and Support Services the Dean of Students Office?

The CASS team was formerly under the title of the Office of the Dean of Students. After careful consideration, the decision was made the name Care and Support Services better suited the needs of the office and who we are.  

Is it possible to remain anonymous when reporting a concern? 

While we cannot guarantee anonymity, we will make every effort to protect your privacy upon your request. 

Is my conversation with CASS confidential? 

No.

Does Care and Support Services provide academic advising or counseling services?

No. While we are more than happy to help students navigate barriers across grounds, we leave the academic advising and concerns to our Association Dean/Academic Dean colleagues who are housed in the respective schools. If you're not sure who that is, we can help you get connect.

CASS does not provide clinical counseling services. For clinical counseling services, we encourage reaching out to CAPS and TimelyCare.  

Do I have to meet with your office to withdraw, return, or take a leave of absence?

No. You no longer have to meet with our office to withdraw, return, and/or take a leave of absence from the University. If you would like to meet with one of our team members for further resources available to you, please contact us at [email protected] and we would be happy to set up an appointment! 

I've seen/heard/witnessed something I'd like to disclose.

If you have immediate concerns for anyone’s safety or well-being, please call 911. Otherwise, you can report hazing through the online reporting form JustReportIt! or by calling the Hazing Hotline at 434-243-HAZE (4293). 

Student FAQs

Will my conversation with Care and Support Services be confidential? 

No, conversations with the CASS team will not be completely private.

I am having issues with my off-grounds lease/housing, what do I do?

Our colleagues at Student Legal Services can assist you.

I cannot register for classes, what do I do? 

Please reach out to your Association Dean/Academic Dean specific to your school to help with issues registering for classes. If there is a Dean of Students hold or ODOS hold on your account, make sure you have completed all mandatory trainings in SIS and contact [email protected] to remove the hold.

I have to be absent from class for a couple days, what do I do? 

University encourages you to care for your health and well-being. To engage in support around academic flexibility, please contact your academic support.

I am having a roommate conflict/want to switch dorms, what do I do? 

Our colleagues at Housing and Residence Life would love to assist you with any on-grounds housing questions, you may contact them at [email protected] 

Does Care and Support Services contact family members/emergency contacts? 

We will only contact your family members/emergency contacts when needed in accordance with University policy or at your request. Policy references here and here.

I have been experiencing a financial emergency, housing insecurity, and/or food insecurity, is there anything that can help me with that? 

Please reach out to CASS so we may help you explore options and resources. You can also reference the basic needs section of our main page. There are a variety of resources available to you.

Family FAQs

My student has mental health concerns, and I want to ensure they are connected to University resources. 

Please contact us at 434-924-7133 and/or [email protected] and we would be happy to help! We also suggest contacting CAPS for further/ongoing resources.  

What can family members expect to hear from the Care and Support Services Team? 

The University is required to notify parents of tax-dependent students for health and safety concerns such as psychological emergencies or alcohol/drug related arrests. Please see University policy for more detailed information: here and here. 

Will I be notified if; a break-in occurs near my student, when my student is in “trouble,” if my student goes to the hospital, my student fails a class, my student is not graduating, etc? 

• For the most part, it will be up to your student to relay information about how they’re doing back to you.  
• We will contact you in accordance with University policy or at your student’s request. See the policies above.
• You can call us, however we may be limited on what we can share with you. We want to partner with you however we have limitations on what we can say or not say.
• Anyone who wishes to receive UVA Alerts via text can opt-in by texting “UVA” to 226787. This short code subscription service is available to anyone, anywhere. For more information, please visit here. 

Can you make my student contact me? 

We can reach out and encourage that you would like to hear from them however we cannot force them to contact you.

Faculty and Staff FAQs

I have concern for a student (ex. student is not coming to class, not turning in assignments, is disruptive in class, has concerning content in their assignment, has not responded to any messages, etc.) What do I do? 

There are many ways to report concern for a student! You can: call CASS at 434-924-7133, or email us at [email protected]. If the concerns are immediate safety concerns, please dial 911.

When can Faculty/Staff expect to hear from the Care and Support Services Team? Should I tell the student when I have contacted the CASS?

• You can expect to hear from us if we are working with a student to arrange holistic support.  
• If you contact our team with concerns about a student, we do recommend that you let the student know you’ve contacted us.  

Do I have to report what a student tells me? 

• If you are a responsible employee, you have an obligation to report certain information a student may disclose to you. Please make sure you're aware of this policy. 
• Aside from what you are required to report as a responsible employee, if a student shares with you that they are going through a hard time and the support they need may extend beyond what you feel able to provide, please reach out to our team.  

Will my conversation be confidential? 

No, conversations with the CASS team will not be completely private.

Am I expected to make accommodations for a student? 

If your student has accommodations through the Student Disability Access Center, you should contact SDAC directly if you have questions or concerns about providing those accommodations. If you wish to extend additional accommodations, we recommend you discuss your suggestions with your academic team.