Resources

Preferred name and pronouns: I will gladly honor your request to address you by the name and gender pronouns of your choice. Please advise me of this early in the semester so that I may make the appropriate notation on my class list. In addition, using these instructions, you can update your preferred name in MyPortal.

Academic accommodation for a documented disability: The College will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities. If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact the Center for Disability Services located in the Lightsey Center, Suite 104. If you have a documented disability and need accommodations, please come talk with me and bring your PNL (Professor Notification Letter) as soon as possible.

Technology: Many course materials—including handouts, assignments, the syllabus, policies, and schedule—will be available online here in the blog and through OAKS. I encourage you to use laptops, cellphones, and tablets in class so long as you’re taking notes, referring to relevant sources, or conducting other class-related work. I ask that you put the screen of your laptop down when we’re having group discussion. Do be sure to silence the device, and to fully charge it before class since our classroom has a limited number of electrical outlets.

College Policy on Religious Holidays: The College of Charleston community is enriched by students of many faiths that have various religious observances, practices, and beliefs. We value student rights and freedoms, including the right of each student to adhere to individual systems of religion.

The College prohibits discrimination against any student because of such student’s religious belief or any absence thereof. The College acknowledges that religious practices differ from tradition to tradition and that the demands of religious observance in some traditions may cause conflicts with student schedules. In affirming this diversity, like many other colleges and universities, the College supports the concept of “reasonable accommodation for religious observance” in regard to class attendance, and the scheduling of examinations and other academic work requirements, unless the accommodation would create an undue hardship on the College. Faculty are required, as part of their responsibility to students and the College, to ascribe to this policy and to ensure its fair and full implementation.

Inclement Weather, Pandemic or Substantial Interruption of Instruction: If in-person classes are suspended, I will announce in OAKS a detailed plan for a change in modality to ensure the continuity of learning. Be sure you have access to a computer equipped with a web camera, microphone, and Internet access. Resources are available to provide you with these essential tools if you find you need any.

Food, Housing, and other material resources: If you are facing challenges in securing food (such as not being able to afford groceries or get sufficient food to eat every day) and housing (such as lacking a safe and stable place to live), please contact the office of the Dean of Students (Stern Center, 3rd floor) for support. Also, you can go to http://studentaffairs.cofc.edu/student-food-housing-insecurity/index.php to learn about food and housing assistance that is available to you. In addition, there are several resources on and off campus to help. You can visit the Cougar Pantry in the Stern Center (2nd floor), a student-run food pantry that provides dry-goods and hygiene products at no charge to any student in need. Please also consider reaching out to me directly, if you are comfortable doing so.

Mental & Physical Well-being: If you find yourself experiencing any physical or mental health challenges (for example, anxiety, depression, stressful life events, sleep deprivation, and/or loneliness/homesickness), please know you are not alone. Here at the CofC we have a comprehensive mental health team to support you. There are two options on campus:
1. Licensed Counselors (843-953-5640):
Students are eligible to see an on campus licensed counselor for ongoing private sessions each semester at no cost.
2. Peer Counseling (843-953-7411 or Text “4support” to 839863)
Counseling is available by trained peers Monday – Thursday Noon – 9PM
** Very Important: Please note CofC students have 24-hour access to a mental health counselor. The CofC always has a mental health professional available to all students at all times of the day and night. If you, or a peer, need mental health support after hours (when the Health Services/Counseling Center is closed), please call Campus Security at 843.953.5609 and request that a mental health counselor calls you back as soon as possible. You will receive a call from a trained mental health professional promptly.

Inclusion: The College of Charleston offers many resources for LGBTQ+ students, faculty and staff along with their allies.