September 23, 2024
Support for Students through Student Support and Accountability
Student Support and Accountability, or SSA, formerly the Office of Student Life, provides support to students experiencing challenges that may prevent them from being successful in their courses or impact their experience at K-State. Many students look to support from SSA if they are experiencing physical or mental health challenges, personal or family emergencies, financial barriers, challenges adjusting to college life, or any combination of challenging factors. Once we understand the circumstances, we focus heavily on problem-solving to explore options, connecting students to resources and communicating with faculty, if necessary.
SSA also works closely with faculty and staff when advocating for students, navigating difficult student situations, and providing policy oversight related to threat management and seriously disruptive behavior, alleged violations of the student code of conduct and student organization conduct code and process for discipline. All three of these policies may have implications for non-academic misconduct in academic settings and may be relevant for faculty.
Faculty and staff may be the first to interact with a student in distress. We want faculty and staff to feel prepared to intervene in a timely and appropriate way, while also knowing when to hand off to other resources. Faculty can read more about students in distress, how to respond and referral resources on our website. SSA also oversees the Student of Concern referral process, which aims to offer support and early intervention to connect students with resources and make positive steps. You can refer a student through the online form and read more about the outreach process on our website. Many faculty, staff and graduate teaching assistants may have received a student or concern postcard in campus mail last week. We encourage you to keep the postcard and bookmark the links to reference when needed.
If you are unsure about what to do next or how to support a student, call us between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays at 785-532-6432, stop by our office at in Room 201 of Holton Hall, or email studentsupport@k-state.edu. We are here to help and are always available to consult.