Family & Medical Emergencies

It is always difficult to be ill, experience an injury, or learn that there has been a family emergency when you are away from home.  The information below will provide you with guidance on how to best deal with these stressful situations. The Office of Academic Advising can assist students as they make academic decisions following a medical or family emergency. Please do not hesitate to contact us (336.758.3320) if you, or a student you care about, need academic advice and assistance relating to such situations.

Although the Office of Academic Advising can communicate with your instructors about your medical situation, the instructor ultimately determines what accommodations are appropriate and whether absences are excused.

Family Emergencies

If you have a serious injury or illness of a loved one, please contact the Office of Academic Advising as soon as possible. You should also contact your faculty members to let them know what has happened and how long you plan to be away from campus. The Office of Academic Advising is available to follow up with your faculty members after your initial contact with them to update them on your situation. We are also available if your situation may cause you to want to make adjustments to your academic schedule. The Office of the Chaplain is also available to assist students dealing with these types of situations.

Personal Medical Emergencies

Seek Urgent Care

Access the medical care that you require. In cases of emergency, call Campus Police (336.758.5911) or 911. Students may seek medical assistance at on-campus resources, including Deacon Health (336.758.5218) and the University Counseling Center (336.758.5218).

Communicate with the University

At the request of a student, the Deacon Health, the University Counseling Center, or the Office of the Chaplain report to the Office of Academic Advising when a student experiences a medical emergency. The Office of Academic Advising will notify faculty members and the academic advisor to make them aware of the medical situation. Such notices are helpful to instructors as they determine appropriate accommodations.

Students can make this request in one of the following ways:

  • Through Deacon Health, who can confirm the student’s medical situation and ask that the Office of Academic Advising alert faculty. Faculty often accept such notices as medical documentation. (Note that this is only in the case of medical emergencies. Deacon Health does not make notifications for routine matters.)
  • Through outside medical professionals (e.g., the local hospital) contact Deacon Health, the University Counseling Center, or the Office of the Chaplain. Faculty often accept such notices as documentation of emergencies.
  • By calling the Office of Academic Advising (336.758.3320). This allows the Office of Academic Advising to contact your professors and advisor quickly, but does not serve as medical documentation.

What options are there if emergencies or illnesses are ongoing and make it difficult or impossible to keep up with my academic obligations?

In case of chronic illness or emergencies that require extended absences, we ask that students please inform their faculty members, academic advisors, and our office. In such instances, students should meet with one of our academic counselors to discuss options such as Continuous Enrollment Status (CES), Incompletes, and other options found under the “Academic Exceptions” and “Enrollment Status” tabs on our homepage.