Student Outreach & Support
The University of Northern Colorado Student Outreach and Support (SOS) office fosters student development, engagement, and success by assisting students during difficult circumstances which may include medical, mental health, personal or family crisis, and illness or injury. SOS Case Managers coordinate with referral sources and make appropriate referrals and provide follow-up to address the unique needs of each student. SOS focuses on reducing the impact of an incident or behavior on the student, faculty, staff, and UNC community.
Mission and Vision
Student Outreach and Support provides outreach and support to students in distress through understanding, navigating university procedures, assisting with communication and linking students with support services for student success including retention and persistence toward graduation.
We achieve this mission by...
- Being known to the campus
- Creating an action plan for success
- Being available to students, family, faculty and staff
- Assisting students through life transitions
- Help develop student self-advocacy
- Facilitate Behavioral Intervention
CARE Team
The CARE Team (Concern and Respond Effectively) is designed to respond to University of Northern Colorado students of concern, to identify referral options for the student and to make recommendations for actions to the Dean of Students office or other campus officials as appropriate. The Team’s goal is to offer recommendations that promote student health, safety, success, and retention.
The Team also serves as a coordinating entity in responding to critical incidents that affect students, staff and the greater campus community. If a threat is identified during a critical incident, a smaller group of individuals from the CARE Team (determined based upon the incident) will join to coordinate a response to the threat.
If you are unsure about bringing a person to the attention of the CARE Team, contact Student Outreach and Support (SOS) at either 970-351-2001 or dos@unco.edu for more information.
Members
The CARE Team is comprised of several individuals and student support offices on campus. The following campus offices are represented on the Team:
- Dean of Students Office
- UNC Police Department
- Housing & Residential Education
- Counseling Center
- University Legal Counsel (advisory)
Designees may attend in a member’s absence when necessary. Additional campus community members may be called in on an as-needed basis (example: Staff from Office of Global Engagement, Faculty, Disability Resource Center, Assault Survivors Advocacy Program, etc.)
Referrals
Some indicators of a person in need of assistance include:
- Personality changes
- Changes in behavior
- Lack of engagement
- Aggression
Just because someone consults with an SOS Case Manager does not mean the student's situation is automatically brought to the CARE Team. SOS Case Managers are responsible for assessing a student’s situation and referring to the CARE Team if necessary.
