FAQs About Reporting

Who can file a report?

Anyone can file a report. Please note while you can submit anonymously for most reports, this may severely limit our ability to follow-up and investigate your concerns.

What types of things should I report?

Whether you are a student, employee, or community member, if you think that someone needs to know about a situation that has occurred or is occurring, you should make a report.

Below are a few examples of what could be reported and what form you should use:

• A friend’s depression – Form 1. UMCares
• A student’s financial emergency – Form 1. UMCares
• Someone is being harassed – Form 3. Behavioral Misconduct or Form 4. Title IX Reporting (if sexual in nature)
• A student who is threatening and angry in class – Form 2. UM Threat Assessment
• Student conflicts – Form 3. Behavioral Misconduct
• Any type of sexual harassment including sexual assault – Form 4. Title IX Reporting
  • Please note: Counseling services is the only place to report completely confidentially on campus.
  • Please note: All campus staff members, except Counselors, are mandated to report sexual misconduct.
• Relationship violence or stalking – Form 4. Title IX Reporting
• Substance abuse issues – Form 1. UMCares

Where do the reports go?

All reports are routed to professional staff in various offices such as Counseling Services, Student Conduct, and the Vice President for Student Affairs.  If you have questions, please call (205)665-6020.

How is information in a report used?

It depends on the information submitted. For example, reports can be used to identify students who need someone to reach out to them regarding particular services, such as food pantry help, counseling or student success. Other reports may identify an individual who may need to speak with Student Conduct regarding their alleged behavior. Issues that include a situation that could lead to danger for campus may be referred to the campus Threat Assessment Team and the police.

Reports don’t mean a person is “in trouble”, many reports submitted can be addressed by a simple check-in with the students involved. When allegations are made that a student has violated a policy in the Student Code of Conduct, an investigation will take place.

How do I know that my reported incident or concern is being addressed?

Upon completion of a report you will receive a confirmation email message from the staff member who oversees that report. If there are questions regarding your report, you will receive a call or email. Please note, due to federal privacy laws (FERPA) you may not be privy to any action taken from a report.

Why make a report?

Reports are kept in a central database for different types of information regarding students. By looking at various reports about a student, a more complete picture of the person emerges. Information about a student may come from variety of sources:

• Incident reports made by faculty, staff and students
• Police incidents and reports
• Academic dishonesty forms
• Housing incident reports
• Direct reports and emails to the members of the CARE Team or VPSA
• Emergency Duty reports

Note: These forms are not monitored 24/7/365, should you need immediate assistance, are in fear of an immediate threat, or an active emergency is occurring, call Campus Police at 205-665-6500, or emergency services via 911. This is not a police reporting tool.