Become an agent of your own well-being through SOS
Student Outreach & Support helps students overcome challenges by creating connections, determining what鈥檚 next
By JAMIE ABELL on January 30, 2024
Students face challenges every day鈥攕ome easier to solve than others. From health issues to financial troubles to family problems and more, Jimmy Thren and his team in the Student Outreach & Support Office (SOS) become partners in navigating these struggles, so students don鈥檛 have to do it alone.
鈥淲e support student health and well-being, helping students become agents of their own experience, feeling empowered to seek resources available for them,鈥� says Thren, the new director of SOS. 鈥淎ny student that needs help deserves help.鈥�
SOS acts as a switchboard of sorts, connecting students to the office, person or process that can help them with the specific issue they鈥檙e facing.
The SOS office is always available through the . Anyone concerned about a student can submit this form; it can be self-submitted as well. Once received, the SOS team will reach out directly to the student, often the same day.
The SOS team will use email, phone calls, in-person or virtual meetings鈥攚hatever the student feels most comfortable with鈥攖o provide guidance and follow up. The office can also be reached via phone, email and or in-person; they鈥檙e located on the second floor of the Administration Building (at the intersection of York Rd. and Cross Campus Dr.).
鈥淣o student should feel alone when their TU experience is being adversely impacted,鈥� says Alison Peer, associate dean of students. 鈥淲e want to be the piece that connects a student to the help they need, and we have the resources to do that.鈥�
In addition to providing direct support to students, the SOS team partners with faculty to provide information about how to work with students facing challenges impacting their education. Through presentations and meetings, the SOS team can help faculty members learn their roles in different situations and provide tips on appropriate actions. Additional resources for faculty and staff can be found here.
鈥淚 enjoy going to faculty spaces and talking through what we do,鈥� says Thren. 鈥淚 hope that it helps faculty members feel less alone when they鈥檙e presented with situations that are outside their typical realms of teaching and research.鈥�
SOS also operates two additional programs: the Student Emergency Grant Fund and the Chromebook Loaner Program. Students should utilize the Student Emergency Grant Fund if financial emergencies happen. The fund aims to provide one-time, short-term relief for students experiencing financial hardship.
Sponsored by the Student Government Association and administered by SOS, the Chromebook Loaner Program offers temporary use of laptops that will support basic technological needs. Students interested in this service should fill out the .
鈥淚鈥檓 so glad that our team can be a supportive part of the hardest moments that students have,鈥� says Thren. 鈥淲e care so deeply about each student succeeding and hope that the compassion we have for students while they navigate circumstances encourages them to continue reaching out to us for support.鈥�