Mission
Grounded in the Jesuit tradition of Cura Personalis, the Office of the Dean of Students Area (ODOS) offers comprehensive support and resources to address the diverse needs of all students. We empower students with the necessary tools to navigate university systems and life’s challenges by helping develop essential skills that lead to self-efficacy, accountability, and a sense of care for self and others.
The ODOS is comprised of two primary teams: the Student Outreach and Support (SOS) Team and the Student Rights, Responsibilities & Conflict Resolution Team (SRCR). The ODOS is the hub for the CURA Network, which is the centralized university system for student referrals and reports, standardizing response and support across BCT, CARE, Student Conduct & Conflict Resolution, Academic Support, and Equity/T9. The ODOS and campus partners offer support, coordination, case management, and resource referrals for student
concerns university-wide through CURA.
ODOS Services
Among the services offered by the ODOS are:
- Behavioral Concerns Team (BCT): The BCT addresses student behaviors signaling distress, community disturbance, or potential harm. Committed to proactive intervention, it supports students and collaborates with campus partners to assess and manage risks, ensuring overall community safety.
- Coordinated Assistance and Resource Education (CARE) Case Management: ODOS supports students facing personal challenges that could impact academic progress and success (e.g., grief/loss, medical issues, family crises, financial difficulties). Services include outreach to faculty or campus partners, connecting students with resources, and providing guidance and support.
- Conflict Resolution Services: Trained staff on the SRCR Team assist students in preparing for difficult conversations, serve as impartial mediators to facilitate dialogue amongst those in conflict, and create spaces for those who have harmed or been harmed to examine ways to repair the harm and rebuild relationships. Services include conflict coaching, mediation, restorative justice conferences, and Circle practices.
- Sexual Misconduct Resourcing/Equity Case Management: ODOS handles reports of equity-based discrimination and misconduct involving students, including dating violence, sexual misconduct, stalking, and other discrimination based on protected characteristics. Staff provide outreach, information on survivor rights and resources, and facilitate access to University and community services, in collaboration with the Office for Equity and Compliance.
- Student Conduct Process: When it is alleged a student violated the Community Standards, conduct administrators on the SRCR Team hold hearings to speak with students about their choices and examine how these choices demonstrate or are in conflict with the Student Promise. Hearings are designed to foster reflection and growth such that they are developmental rather than punitive with the intent of preventing recurrence.