Spartan Support Program

The goal of the Spartan Support Program is to identify students in our community who appear to be struggling and intervene before the student reaches a crisis level.

To this end, we require the support and participation of students, staff, faculty and parents to provide information to the program.

How the Spartan Support Program Operates:

An initial report comes to a staff member in Spartan Support, the office of Student Affairs, Campus Safety, Health and Wellness Center or Residence Life. A specific Spartan Support Report form is available on this webpage as well as the Campus Safety, Bias Education Resource Team (BERT), Student Affairs, Office of Student Conduct, and Health and Wellness Center webpages. This report is then forwarded to the case management committee for evaluation.

The case management committee is made up of the following members:

• Clinical case manager
• Non-clinical case manager
• Director, Student Care and Advocacy
• Assistant Vice President, Wellness
• Director, Counseling Services
• Director, Medical Services
• Vice President, Operations

Deb Tritt, director of Student Care and Advocacy, serves as the chair. Ad hoc members may include, as needed, Student Accessibility Services staff, a student's academic advisor, Academic Advising Office staff, a student's professor(s), Campus Safety officers, campus counselors, Dickey Health and Wellness Center staff and the dean of students.

In a number of cases, an initial letter is sent asking the student to meet with a specific member of the Spartan Support Program. Additional information may be requested prior to these meetings from a student’s advisor, residence life staff, professors and/or athletic coaches to provide context and verify concerning behaviors.

At this initial meeting, the student is presented with the reason for the concern and the situation is discussed. The majority of students are relieved to discuss their situation and grateful for intervention efforts. Occasionally, students are resistant to intervention so the situation is then further evaluated. In rare instances, it may be necessary to consider the Involuntary Withdraw Policy.

Parent involvement is not standard in these cases but, in more serious cases, parents may be notified. The program attempts to partner with parents to make the best decisions for their student’s health and welfare. Families have also participated by referring their students to this program.

The Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) is convened in situations where a student has been identified as an immediate threat to the University community. This threat may take a variety of forms and is determined based on the student’s reported behaviors in consultation with the Spartan Support Program case management committee. The BIT is composed of all members of the case management committee with the addition of the assistant vice president for Student Affairs and dean of students, vice president for Student Affairs, and the director of Campus Safety. Other members may be added depending on the nature of the incident and the areas of the University that could be potentially affected.

To contact the BIT, please call Monnie Huston Wertz, chair of the BIT, at (813) 253-6203 or email mhwertz@ut.edu. In cases of emergency, please call 911.

If you have a feeling that something is “off” or out of the ordinary behavior range of a student, you are usually correct. You can help that student by referring them to the Spartan Support Program. This program is not punitive but designed to be proactive and offer support and assistance to students. Some observed behaviors that indicate distress may include:

Academic Signs

• Reduction in quality/quantity of work
• Repeated absences
• Bizarre, oddly-worded or threatening email messages
• Continual requests for assignment extensions or course adjustments with no documentation

Physical Signs

• Impairment due to suspected substance use
• Dramatic change in energy level in either direction
• Falling asleep in class
• Noticeable physical injuries (bruises, cutting marks on arms or legs, burns)
• Changes in hygiene habits

Emotional Signs

• Direct statements about current issues (family, relationships, mental state, financial, roommates)
• Changes in behavioral patterns or habits
• Inappropriate emotional responses in any direction (exaggerated anger, sadness or flat effects)
• Resistance to change or boundaries
• Displays of paranoia or distrust
• Online postings that indicate distress, violent ideations or expressions of self-harm
• Preoccupation with violent events, violence and/or weapons
• Strained interpersonal relationships, isolating behaviors or decreasing self-image

Data from the Spartan Support Program is considered confidential and FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) protections would apply to all educational records kept by the University.

Academic Support
The University of Tampa provides a variety of resources to support students in all aspects of their academic journey including the Academic Success Center, Saunders Writing Center, UT Speaking Center, Macdonald-Kelce Library, Career Services, and Information Technology and Security Service Desk.

Bias Education Resource Team (BERT)
The Bias Education Resource Team (BERT) is a group of University employees that provides support and resources to those individuals who have been targeted or impacted by an act of bias.

Counseling Services
The University of Tampa Counseling Services provides counseling to all full-time undergraduate students and all international graduate students.

File a Report (Campus Safety)
If you have been the victim of a crime, our first concern is for your safety. Make sure that you go to a safe place and then consider your reporting options. 

In cases of emergencies on campus, call 911. After calling 911, notify Campus Safety at (813) 257-7777 so that a Campus Safety officer can respond to you. 

Financial Aid
A variety of financial assistance is available in the form of scholarships, grants and loans to UT students. Financial Aid also provides step-by-step instructions on how to apply for need-based aid or student loans.

Dickey Health and Wellness Center
The Dickey Health and Wellness Center offers basic health care services, wellness services and health information for preventing illness and maintaining an energetic life.

Resource List 
Prevention and intervention resources at UT. 

Student Organization Involvement Opportunities
Student engagement is a hallmark of the UT experience, whether through campus leadership programs, membership in clubs and organizations or service to the community.

Student Accessibility Services
The University of Tampa fully supports the efforts and welfare of all its students. Student Accessibility Services works to provide reasonable accommodations to eligible students who may have disabilities as defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Title IX (9)
UT strongly encourages the reporting of discrimination, sexual misconduct, relationship violence and stalking and will take prompt and effective steps to stop the discrimination, prevent its recurrence and remedy its effects. UT is committed to promptly responding to all complaints of discrimination or harassment and to dealing fairly with complaining and responding parties alike.

Victim Advocacy
UT offers victim advocacy services to any student who has been a victim of a violent crime. An advocate may be contacted during the fall and spring semesters through the victim advocate hotline (813) 257-3900 or by contacting Campus Safety at (813) 257-7777. You may always contact an advocate by emailing victimadvocacy@ut.edu.

Nutrition Resources

Feeding Tampa Bay provides opportunities for community members to receive fresh groceries through one of their neighborhood mobile pantry sites. There are no eligibility requirements to receive fresh groceries.

Additionally, Feeding Tampa Bay partners with local community organizations to offer hot meals and boxes of fresh groceries in the Greater Tampa Bay area. Various eligibility requirements may apply. Please visit the website for more information.

To find your location for a mobile pantry site, hot meal or fresh grocery location, please visit Feeding Tampa Bay's Find Food and Resources webpage.

Feeding Tampa Bay also has a team that can assist individuals with enrolling in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), a federal program that provides nutrition benefits to low-income individuals and families that are used at stores to purchase food. Connect with the Food Plus Team to assess program eligibility.

Community Safety Resources

The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay provides support to people who are struggling with a variety of crisis situations including sexual assault or abuse, domestic violence, financial distress, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts and other emotional or situational problems. Services are provided 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Please visit the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay's website for a full list of their services.

The Spring of Tampa Bay provides comprehensive services such as a 24-hour crisis hotline, emergency sheltering, legal representation, transitional housing, prevention education and community outreach to enhance the safety of victims and survivors of domestic violence in Hillsborough County. Please visit The Spring of Tampa Bay's website for a full list of their services.

Tampa Police Department serves to enforce laws, prevent crime, respond to emergencies and provide support services to incidents within the City of Tampa jurisdiction. The Tampa Police Department's non-emergency phone number is (813) 231-6130. For incidents outside of the City of Tampa and within Hillsborough County, contact the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. The non-emergency phone number is (813) 247-8200. In cases of emergencies, please call 911.

In some cases, when there is significant concern about individual or community health, the director of Student Care and Advocacy or designee may place a hold on a student’s account. This hold will require students to obtain medical clearance for removal. This hold is most frequently applied as a result of a withdrawal with medical justifications but may be used in other circumstances.

Please note that while the Spartan Support hold is in effect the student will not be able to register for classes. We hope the student will be able to return to studies at The University of Tampa after a medical clearance form has been completed by a healthcare professional treating the student’s condition and approved by the health clearance committee. To complete the health clearance process, the student must complete the following four steps:

1. Contact the Spartan Support Office at least three weeks prior to the first day of classes for the semester the student wishes to attend, indicating the desire to re-enroll at The University of Tampa.
2. Have the practitioner in charge of treatment submit a completed Health Clearance Form. You may obtain a Health Clearance Form by downloading it.
3. Sign a form authorizing the release of information so that a representative from the UT Health and Wellness Center can speak to the practitioner in charge of treatment. This release may be obtained from the practitioner or by calling UT Health and Wellness Center at (813) 253-6250 if needed. 
4. Contact the Spartan Support Office to verify that the Medical Clearance Form and Release of Information Form have been received and answer any remaining questions. The University retains the right to grant final clearance. Therefore, it may be necessary for a representative of the UT Health and Wellness Center to conduct an evaluation interview prior to re-enrollment.

If there are any questions about the implementation or removal of holds placed by the director of Student Care and Advocacy or designee, please do not hesitate to call the Spartan Support Program at (813) 257-3901 or email at ssp@ut.edu.