Support for Students with Personal and Academic Difficulties

Support is available within the Faculty and University for students with personal and academic difficulties. Alert the Associate Dean (Academic & Student Experience) if these difficulties interfere with the student’s academic success or your ability to teach.

If you believe that any student or instructor may be at imminent risk for harming themselves or others, you may also wish to contact the Helping Individuals At Risk office. Their website provides excellent information as to signs of troubling behavior and their office provides support and information in case of any concerns that arise about the behaviours of others.

If you are concerned about a student with personal difficulties who may not be at imminent risk, then fill in the Student Support Form. It is important to complete this form as it allows the Undergraduate Team to offer wrap-around services, regardless of the situation. 

You may want to meet with the student and share several resources they can access on campus:

• Student Success and Experience: sse@ualberta.ca (the email is monitored and inquiries directed to the best-aligned unit for student concerns) or 780-492-4145

• Counselling and Clinical Services: website, physical location at SUB 2-600 or 780-492-5205

• EmpowerMe: website or 1-833-628-5589

• Sexual Assault Centre: website, uasac@ualberta.ca, 780-492-9771 or physical location at 2 - 705 SUB

• Wellness Supports (including social workers): website, wellness@ualberta.ca, 780-492-1619 (social workers)

• First Peoples’ House: website, fph@ualberta.ca, 780-492-5677, physical location at 2-400 Students' Union Building

Additionally, the Student Success and Experience Office provides this handout with campus services' information.

The University acknowledges a duty to accommodate students’ special circumstances. This duty stems from (1) the Alberta Human Rights, Citizenship and Multiculturalism Act, s. 4, and from (2) UA Discrimination Policy and Reasonable Accommodation Policy (GFC Section 44). 

(1) The Alberta Human Rights, Citizenship and Multiculturalism Act, s. 4 covers services provided by the post-secondary institutions. It states: 

No person shall 

(a) deny to any person or class of persons any goods, services, accommodation or facilities that are customarily available to the public, or 

(b) discriminate against any person or class of persons with respect to any goods, services, accommodation or facilities that are customarily available to the public, because of the race, religious beliefs, colour, gender, physical disability, mental disability, ancestry, place of origin, marital status, source of income or family status of that person or class of persons. 

(2) The Reasonable Accommodation Policy [GFC Section 44.8] states: 

The University of Alberta will take reasonable steps to accommodate individuals who are disadvantaged by employment, tenancy or educational rules, standards, policies or practices because of their race, religious beliefs, colour, gender, physical or mental disability, marital status, age, ancestry, place of origin, family status, source of income, sexual orientation, or political belief, to the extent required by law. 

Physical and mental disabilities include but are not limited to:

• hearing disabilities

• mobility disabilities

• psychological and psychiatric disabilities

• vision disabilities

• learning disabilities

• neurological disabilities

• disabilities related to chronic health problems

• disabilities as a result of serious illness, such as cancer

• developmental disabilities

The duty to accommodate is a shared responsibility. When a student needs accommodation, that individual is responsible for: 

1. Providing reasonable advance notice to his or her instructor of the need for an accommodation, if this is not apparent. 

2. Providing enough relevant documentation including medical reports or other materials as are required to verify the need for accommodation and for identifying his or her specific accommodation needs. 

3. Cooperating in searching for and implementing a reasonable accommodation. 

4. Accepting reasonable accommodation. The individual asking to be accommodated cannot expect a perfect solution. 

The duty to accommodate does not 

1. require that post-secondary institutions lower academic or non-academic standards to accommodate students with disabilities. 

2. relieve the student of the responsibility to develop the essential skills and competencies expected of all students.

The Accessibility & Accommodations Services provides support services to students with disabilities to enable complete access to University facilities and successful completion of programs. AR will provide exam arrangements, note taking support, adaptive technology and assistive devices. 

The nature and extent of accommodations must be decided by AR. They are not subject to negotiation between the instructor and student. Occasionally, students state that the required accommodations were not fully written on the AR form. If there is any discrepancy, contact the Undergraduate Coordinator for assistance in resolution. 

For further information contact the Accessibility Resources office at 492-3381, arrec@ualberta.ca or Accessibility & Accommodations.

Academic Success Centre provides writing resources, learning resources, and testing services. The Centre teaches students how to function in university so that achievement can be maintained. Learning Resources teaches them how to achieve by utilizing strategies that are taken from research into learning and performance. Some typical workshops offered are: Time Management, Note Taking, Reading Tips, Strategies for Academic Achievement, Memory Skills, and Study Techniques. 

Academic Success Centre also deals with test anxiety and teaches students how to manage it so they can function in an exam situation. If the anxiety is extreme, Academic Success Centre will refer students to physicians or other related professionals. 

Academic Success Centre provides this service by seeing students on an individual appointment basis but also offers students a variety of workshops throughout each term. Students encountering difficulties should contact the Academic Success Centre (previously known as Academic Support Centre) in Room 2-300 Students’ Union Building, Phone: 780-492-2682, Email: success@ualberta.ca or Academic Success Centre.

There are many reasons why students could come into your office upset. They may be feeling angry, overwhelmed, confused, sick, or stressed. Please keep in mind that they may also have problems or issues that are unrelated to their visit with you. 

The basic process for interacting with students who are upset is the same: 

• Acknowledge the student’s FEELINGS. This lets them know that you care how they are feeling and that this needs to be discussed before you can get to the specifics of the problem. 

• Use your listening skills to allow the student to explain, in their own words, what has made them upset. This will allow the student to release pent-up anxieties and help them to “calm down.” 

• Ignore rudeness and avoid the temptation to blame others, justify, defend, or lecture. 

• Understand what the upsetting experience has meant to your student. Understanding does not mean the acceptance of fault or point of view. 

• Move the student to a private area to discuss matters. 

Now you can begin to work on the problem that has brought your student to your office. Remember to: 

• Express willingness to help the student solve the problem. 

• Clarify what has been communicated. 

• Summarize what action has been proposed to make sure that there is a mutual understanding. 

Most importantly, recognize that your student is upset and has a valid reason for being upset. Let your student know that you acknowledge both: 

• e.g. “You sound really upset about all of this.” 

• e.g. “You’ve been through an experience that would make anyone upset.” 

Tips on angry students: 

Angry students may be the toughest to interact with. A normal first reaction to anyone who is angry is to become defensive or to become angry yourself. In a professor-student relationship it is especially important to make an effort to not respond in these ways. You should: 

• Acknowledge your student’s anger. 

• Let them know it is OK to feel angry. 

• If your student has raised his/her voice, try SLIGHTLY raising your voice and then slowly bring your voice back down to normal. Many times your student will follow with his/her tone of voice. 

If the student is not calming down, or you can feel yourself getting frustrated or upset, it may be best to invite the student to come back at another time. You may also refer the student to on-campus supports. Many of the available supports are cataloged through the Student Success and Experience Portfolio. 

As staff, please feel free to also use these supports to discuss any student interaction you find upsetting. If possible, contact an appropriate service with the student in your office and get the name of a contact person with whom the student may connect. Only if the student requests, walk with them to the service. 

Suicide 

Instructors play a major part in students’ lives. It is not uncommon for a student to view his or her instructor as a mentor or someone who can offer help. Students who are feeling overwhelmed may approach you for help. You may even be presented with a student who is suicidal. 

Common Clues to Suicide: 

Verbal 

Direct statements:

• “I wish I were dead.” 

• “I don’t wish to live anymore.” 

Indirect statements:

• “All of my problems will end soon.” 

• “Everyone will be better off without me.” 

• “No one can help me now.” 

• “I just can’t take it anymore.” 

• Talking or joking about suicide; describing methods or plans for committing suicide 

• Expressions of helplessness and hopelessness 

• Saying goodbye 

Behavioral 

• depression, sadness 

• drop in grades by good students or sudden interest in grades by poor students 

• impatience and irritability 

• inability to concentrate or becoming bored and listless 

• a previous attempt of losses to suicide 

• fascination with death 

• giving away possessions, putting affairs in order 

• isolation and withdrawal from family and friends 

• lack of interest in hobbies, jobs, school, or physical appearance 

Situational 

• losses 

• pressures 

• low self-esteem 

• lack of help or communication 

• trouble with the law 

• drug and alcohol abuse 

What can I do if I think a student may be suicidal? 

First and foremost: TALK with the student. If you need help, please contact the Helping Individuals at Risk (HIAR) Office, using their website, email at hiarua@ualberta.ca, or phone at 780-492-4372. They will listen to your concern and help you identify the next steps. They can also arrange for some immediate action if they determine the immediate risk to be at a high level. 

The following are some immediate steps to take if you cannot access support immediately:

• Ask the student in a straightforward manner if they are suicidal. (e.g. “I’m worried about you. Are you thinking about suicide?”) Asking this question will not plant the idea in a student’s head. In fact, if a student has considered suicide, it can be a relief to talk about it with someone who is not afraid to discuss the issue. 

• Ask if the student has a plan on how to carry this out. Find out if they have planned a time to do it. This allows you to assess the risk of the situation. 

• Ask the student to make a contract with you. This means asking the student to promise to contact you, a friend or family member, or even the Distress Line before they act on their suicidal feelings. The best way is to pick one that both you and the student are comfortable with and ask them to promise to contact that person. 

• Discuss what resources are available to the student to help deal with their suicidal feelings. These include things the student is able to do for themselves (such as hobbies or writing things in a journal) as well as people the student can go to for help (such as friends, family, clergy, or yourself!) 

• If you believe that a student is in immediate danger of hurting themselves or someone else, contact an emergency number such as 911. 

Resources 

Edmonton Distress Line:

https://edmonton.cmha.ca/brochure/distress-line/
780-482-HELP (4357)
24 hours

Counselling and Clinical Services:

https://www.ualberta.ca/current-students/counselling/index.html
780-492-5205
See website for hours

Helping Individuals at Risk:

https://www.ualberta.ca/provost/portfolio/helping-individuals-at-risk-program/index.html
780-492-4372
See website for hours