Welcome to the Student Affairs Faculty Toolkit. What Can We Help You Find?
Numbers Worth Saving Right Now
Everything else in this guide, you can look up later. Save these to your phone today.
Life-Threatening Emergency: 911
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Life-Threatening Emergency: 911
For any immediate danger to life or safety, on or off campus.
UCPD Non-Emergency: 805-893-3446
SMHCS | Student Mental Health Coordination Services
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SMHCS | Student Mental Health Coordination Services
The single point of contact for a student who is struggling, withdrawn, or worrying you – not an emergency. This is the number every faculty member should save.
Phone: 805-893-3030
SMHCS Online Referral (via the CARE Report Portal): studentsindistress.sa.ucsb.edu
CAPS | Counseling & Psychological Services After-Hours Crisis Line
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CAPS | Counseling & Psychological Services After-Hours Crisis Line
Refer for a mental health crisis outside business hours.
Phone: 805-893-4411
CARE | Campus Advocacy, Resources & Education
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CARE | Campus Advocacy, Resources & Education
Confidential advocacy for sexual assault, dating/domestic violence, or stalking.
Phone: 805-893-4613
Website: care.ucsb.edu
Dean of Students & Office of Student Life
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Dean of Students & Office of Student Life
For general concerns, conduct questions, or when you're not sure who else to call.
Website: studentlife.sa.ucsb.edu
Division of Student Affairs
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Division of Student Affairs
General division contact.
Main Line: 805-893-3651
Email: VCSAOffice@sa.ucsb.edu
Find the Right Office
Not sure where to start? Tap what's going on, or browse every category below - each one expands to show exactly who to call and what to say.
Right Now: Safety or Crisis
A student is in immediate danger, or you're worried someone could hurt themselves or others.
A Student Seems to Be Struggling
Missed classes, a drop in quality of work, withdrawal, a difficult disclosure in office hours – not an emergency, but not nothing.
Basic Needs
Food insecurity, housing instability, or financial strain that's making it hard to show up to class or focus.
Academic Difficulty & Accommodations
A student is falling behind, needs accommodations, or would benefit from structured academic support.
Identity, Belonging & Community
A student is looking for community, culturally specific support, or an office that understands their particular experience of UCSB.
Interpersonal Harm & Conduct
A student discloses harm by another person, or a classroom conduct issue needs a formal channel.
Career & Future Planning
A student wants help connecting coursework to what comes next.
Wellness & Everyday Connection
Proactive, preventive resources worth normalizing before a crisis – not just after one.
How to Make a Referral
You are not anyone's case manager – and you don't need to be. Four steps get a student to the right help.
Hover over a card to reveal the next step. Click any card to step back.
Assess Urgency
Immediate Danger → call 911 or UCPD yourself.
Worrying but Not Urgent → use the SMHCS referral.
General Support → point to the right office.
Reach Out with Care
Speak to the student privately. Name what you've observed without diagnosing it. “I've noticed you've missed the last few classes and I wanted to check in.”
Point, Don't Manage
You are not the student's case manager. Hand them the card, show them the QR code, or say the office name out loud – then let the experts take it from there.
Follow Through When It's Serious
If you're genuinely concerned about safety or wellbeing, submit the SMHCS referral yourself, even if the student says they're fine. It takes about five minutes and doesn't require certainty – only concern.
Words That Help, Actions to Avoid
Hover over a phrase to reveal the action it replaces. Click to keep it visible.
Words That Help
“I've noticed [specific, observable thing] – I wanted to check in.”
Action to Avoid
Don't diagnose (“It sounds like you're depressed”) – name behavior, not conditions.
Words That Help
“That sounds like a lot. There's an office at UCSB that handles exactly this, and it's confidential.”
Action to Avoid
Don't promise confidentiality you can't keep – most UCSB employees are mandatory reporters for certain disclosures.
Words That Help
“You don't have to have it figured out. I can point you to someone who does.”
Action to Avoid
Don't take on case management yourself – a warm handoff beats a well-intentioned rescue.
Words That Help
“I'm glad you told me. Here's what I can do, and here's who can do more.”
Action to Avoid
Don't wait for a perfect moment – a brief, private word after class is enough to start.
In Your Classroom
Ready-to-use language for your syllabus and three moments in the quarter when a reminder lands best.
Syllabus Statement
Syllabus Statement – Short Version
UCSB is committed to your success – in this course and beyond it. If you're navigating a challenge, academic or otherwise, Student Affairs offers confidential, no-cost support ranging from tutoring and accommodations to basic needs and counseling. Start at sa.ucsb.edu or ask me – I'm glad to point you in the right direction.
Syllabus Statement – Expanded Version
College is demanding, and sometimes life outside the classroom makes it harder to succeed inside it. UCSB's Division of Student Affairs offers a wide range of confidential, no-cost support: Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) for mental health, the Basic Needs Program for food and housing security, Campus Learning Assistance Services (CLAS) for tutoring, the Disabled Students Program (DSP) for accommodations, and identity-based centers including the MultiCultural Center, Women's Center, Resource Center for Sexual & Gender Diversity, and others for community and belonging. If I notice you're struggling, I may reach out or connect you with Student Affairs – not to judge, but because I want you to succeed. You're also always welcome to come to me directly. A full directory is at sa.ucsb.edu.
In-Class Reminders
Week 1: Welcome & Resource Awareness (60–90 seconds)
“Before we get into the syllabus, one more thing. College life doesn't stay in the classroom, and UCSB has a lot of support built for exactly that. If you're ever dealing with something – not enough sleep, not enough money, not enough food, a hard week, a hard quarter – there is a real office for that, and it's free and confidential. I'm going to leave a card on the table by the door with the ones I think you're most likely to need, and it's also on the syllabus. You don't need a crisis to use any of these – tutoring and career services are on that list too. And you can always just talk to me.”
Week 4–5: Midpoint Check-In (30–45 seconds)
“We're at the point in the quarter where things start to pile up. If you're behind, overwhelmed, or just running on empty, that's common – and it's fixable. CLAS has drop-in tutoring for this class, and if it's bigger than academics, Student Affairs has people whose whole job is helping with that. The card I gave you week one has the numbers. Come see me in office hours either way.”
Finals Week: Wellness Reminder (20–30 seconds)
“Last thing before we wrap up the quarter: take care of yourselves this week. Sleep matters more than one more hour of review. If finals week is hitting harder than usual, CAPS and the Basic Needs Program are both here, even during finals. Good luck – you've earned it.”
Get the Toolkit
This page is one piece of a small kit – take what's useful for your context.
This page
Bookmark it, or add the link to your syllabus and course site.
A one-page printable handout
For your office door, mailbox flyers, or new faculty orientation packets.
This QR code
Print it so you can have easy access anytime you need to scan it. Add it to Faculty communications as a resource.