Webpage is a one-stop resource for faculty, staff and students
UMKC recently unveiled a one-stop web portal to give faculty, staff and students easy access to the many campus resources available to anyone with concerns about their safety, well-being or level of respect during their university experience.
The impetus for the new webpage grew from feedback provided during a series of community listening sessions at UMKC in late 2015. UMKC leaders hosted the meetings to enable the campus community to give voice to, and to listen to, perspectives and experiences of diversity, campus climate following a series of tumultuous events at Mizzou and the University of Missouri System.
The request for easier access to online resources – such as Title IX forms, bias incident reports, information on the faculty ombudsman, forms to file workplace or grade grievances and so on — came from several speakers at the listening sessions.
“What we found is that there is an overwhelming amount of information out there on how, and where, to get help on campus, but the campus community was not sure where to go to have their specific concerns addressed,” said Anne Hartung Spenner, vice chancellor for strategic marketing and communications (MCom). Help Central provides links to web-based resources and telephone numbers that can be dialed to speak directly with a campus representative or campus police.
Help Central launched in September and also played a prominent role in the UMKC Campus Climate Survey, which ended Nov. 4, providing survey respondents a place to link to resources or support should they need it.
Help Central will continue to live on and evolve as a campus resource. In December and beyond, MCom will work with Human Resources and campus groups such as Staff Council and Faculty Senate to raise campus awareness of this new resource. The site offers a feedback button so people can send in updates or offer additional ideas to make the site even more useful.
“Help Central is a constantly evolving portal of information,” Spenner said. “We encourage everyone to let us know if there are resources they do not find, or think should be added.”
For assistance, call the UMKC HelpLine at 816-235-2222. For urgent concerns after 5 p.m., contact the UMKC Police Department at 816-235-1515.