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 is appropriate and whether absences are excused.
Family Emergencies
If a member of your immediate family experiences a serious injury or illness that requires you to leave campus, 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
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 (336.758.5273).
Communicate directly with your faculty
If you are ill and will be absent from class, email your faculty directly to let them know why you are absent and what you plan to do to stay on top of or make up assignments. If you can’t develop a plan on your own, request a meeting to talk with them as soon as you are able to return to class. Policies regarding absences and missed assignments/assessments are the purview of each faculty member.
Communicate with the University only when necessary due to severe illness
If your illness will have a significant impact on your academic engagement (e.g., hospitalization), you can ask your health care provider to provide information to the University. Contact Medical Requests (medicalrequests@wfu.edu) to begin this process.
If appropriate, Medical Requests will then contact the Office of Academic Advising, and OAA will notify your faculty members about your medical situation. Keep in mind that faculty are not required to excuse absences or make special arrangements due to student illness, but it may be helpful for instructors to receive formal verification of your situation. Please do not send private medical documents directly to faculty.
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 ongoing or otherwise complex illness or emergency, we ask that students please contact the Office of Academic Advising to meet with one of our Academic Advisors. If a student is unable to contact our office themselves, a friend or a family member may contact OAA on their behalf. Our office will receive such information in accordance with FERPA and University policies.