Student Outreach and Support (SOS) hosts drop-in services for Homewood undergraduate students, allowing them to connect with SOS for the first time, reconnect after a break, or seek support if their previous case manager is not accepting appointments. During these 1:1 sessions, students may ask time-sensitive questions and receive guidance on utilizing Hopkins and community resources. Drop-in services are hosted both virtually and in person at the SOS office. Homewood scholar-athletes can attend drop-in hours hosted in the Recreation Center. You may view the current Drop-In Services schedule here.

For the most updated weekly hours, please visit @jhu.sos on Instagram.

The drop-in hours are not intended for students who may be experiencing a crisis; in that case, students should contact the Behavioral Health Crisis Support Team (BHCST) at 410-516-9355 for immediate support.

The emergency fund is designed to help Homewood undergraduate students facing financial difficulty due to emergency situations or one-time hardships. The funds are awarded to help alleviate short-term financial need and are managed by Student Outreach and Support in collaboration with Student Financial Aid and Scholarships.

Eligibility

• Applicant is currently enrolled as an undergraduate at Homewood
• Applicant must demonstrate financial hardship resulting from an emergency, accident, or other unplanned event
• Applicant has not already received monies from the emergency fund this academic year
• Applicant has exhausted all possible other financial resources (may include student loans, health insurance, personal financial accounts, etc.).
• A Case Manager in Student Outreach and Support can help a student navigate other financial resources if needed.
• Emergency funds are currently capped at $1,500

Students interested in accessing the Emergency Fund must fill out the application, and a Case Manager will follow up with the student to talk about the need.

Things not covered by the emergency fund:

• Tuition and Fees
• Legal Fines/Expenses
• Parking Tickets/Fines
• Health Insurance
• Study Abroad costs
• Animal needs
• Gift cards

Johns Hopkins University Homewood campus has an official policy on missed class time and assignments due to illness and other absences. Student Health and Well-being (SHWB) – Primary Care and Student Outreach and Support do not provide documentation for students who miss individual classes for reasons outside of our policy:

If Student Outreach and Support is notified of a student’s hospitalization, an email will be sent to faculty.

If Student Outreach and Support is notified that a student has to leave campus because of an emergency, an email will be sent to faculty.

If a student is seen at SHWB – Primary Care for a serious or extended illness that precludes a student from meeting attendance requirements and submitting coursework on a timely basis, SHWB may provide verification of the visit to the student and also alert Student Outreach and Support. SOS may then alert faculty of the potential academic impact and encourage the student and faculty member to coordinate next steps. Verification from SHWB Primary Care will not be provided retroactively.

Student Outreach and Support is available for consultations around student issues (health concerns, personal or family emergencies, etc.) that impact class attendance. However, whether a student’s absence is excusable is the faculty member’s decision. Faculty may also wish to consult with the Director for Undergraduate Studies or Department Chair should they be unsure how to handle a student’s absence (or missed major assignment/exam) from a course.

Student Outreach and Support, in partnership with Hopkins IT, has a laptop loaner program for all Homewood undergrads who need short–term use of a laptop.

Guidelines:

• Open to all Homewood undergrads
• Students may borrow a laptop for a maximum of two weeks
• Loaner laptops are to be used for academic purposes only
• Laptop must be returned in the same condition as on the pickup date
• Laptop must be returned by the original borrower
• Laptop must be returned directly to a staff member at the Tech Store

If interested, please fill out the SOS Laptop Loaner Application, and you will be contacted by a representative from SOS or the Hopkins Tech Store. Once notified that a laptop loaner can be provided, the pick-up and drop-off is located in the Tech Store in the Hopkins Bookstore at 3330 St Paul Street, 2nd Floor, Monday – Friday, 9:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

STAR LABS

STAR labs on Homewood campus are a resource for residential and Homewood students. In addition, students can access most software through the STAR Software catalog powered by MyCloud via their personal device (e.g., laptop, tablet, PC, smartphone).

Krieger STAR Lab (located in room 160)

• Open 24/7/265
• Open to all students
• Equipped with high-end Mac and PC workstations
• Docking stations available
• Printing available

AMR II Blue Jay Lounge

• Open 24/7 during Fall and Spring semesters
• Open to AMR residents
• Equipped with high-end Mac and PC workstations
• Docking stations available
• Printing available

Wolman Hall

• Open 24/7 during Fall and Spring semesters
• Open to Wolman Hall residents
• Printing available

McCoy Hall

• Open 24/7 during Fall and Spring semesters
• Open to McCoy Hall residents
• Equipped with high-end Mac and PC workstations
• Docking stations available
• Printing available

Scott-Bates Commons (Coming soon)

• Open 24/7 during Fall and Spring semesters
• Open to SBC residents
• Equipped with high-end Mac and PC workstations
• Docking stations available
• Printing available

The Johns Hopkins University Crisis Assessment Risk Evaluation (CARE) Team provides care and access to resources to promote a safe and secure environment and to maintain the safety, health, and well-being of the campus community through a proactive, objective, supportive, and collaborative approach. The CARE team intervenes to address and respond to student needs, attempting to avoid disruption to the integrity of the learning environment.

Members of the university community should inform the CARE Team/Student Outreach and Support of any student exhibiting behavior(s) that are concerning, a significant disruption, and/or pose a substantial risk of harm by submitting a referral to Student Outreach and Support. All referrals will be handled privately, with information released only on a need-to-know basis.

In addition to implementing the following protocol for referrals of concerning or disruptive behaviors, the university may also refer such behavior for investigation of violations of the Student Conduct Code or Office of Institutional Equity policy.

The CARE Team is dedicated to the prevention, identification, assessment, intervention, management of, and coordinated response to student situations and behaviors that pose a significant disruption to the student’s living and/or learning environment and/or a substantial risk of harm to individuals and/or the safety, health and wellbeing of the campus community.

The CARE Team members consist of the Dean of Student Life, Student Outreach and Support, Counseling Center, Student Health and Well-Being Primary Care, Residential Life, Student Conduct, and Student Disability Services. When needed, we call upon our campus partners in the Office of Institutional Equity, Legal Counsel, Fraternity and Sorority Life, Graduate School, Krieger School of Arts & Sciences, Whiting School of Engineering, Athletics, and Religious and Spiritual Life.

Covered students may request a Voluntary Leave of Absence (LOA) for appropriately documented reasons. These include medical reasons, military service, political campaign participation, other personal opportunities, internship, or personal or financial hardship.

Certain leave requests may require additional documentation, and separate protections and processes may apply depending on the circumstances. They include:

Medical Reasons: LOAs requested for medical reasons must be supported by a licensed mental health or primary care (or specifically relevant speciality care) provider using the PDF Document: PDF Document: University’s required Provider Form. Pursuant to federal rules, for international Covered Students in F-1 status, medical LOAs must include documentation in support that is written specifically by a licensed medical doctor, licensed doctor of osteopathy, or licensed clinical psychologist. Provisional leave may be granted pending the submission of required documentation. Upon return from a medical LOA, the covered student must submit a Provider Form from a licensed healthcare provider that speaks to the management of the condition that precipitated the LOA, such that the student can resume their studies and meet the academic requirements of their degree program.

Military Service: LOA requests for military service require a letter of verification from the armed forces of the relevant country.

Personal or Financial Hardship or Other Personal Reasons: LOA requests for personal or financial hardship or other personal reasons generally require a signed statement from the student attesting to the specific nature of the hardship or articulating the need for the LOA.

General Food Resources

• Hopkins Food Pantry: The Hopkins Food Pantry was founded to help address food insecurity for all Hopkins affiliates and operates in partnership with the Maryland Food Bank. Hopkins affiliates can register online to gain access to the pantry.
• SNAP Supplemental Nutritional Access Program: SNAP is a county food benefits program formerly known as “food stamps.” This program is meant to provide ongoing access to nutritious food through monthly benefits. Benefits are deposited each month onto an EBT debit card. You can use these benefits to buy groceries as well as prepared food wherever EBT is accepted. Your eligibility will depend on several factors, including residency status, income, as well as part-time/full-time enrollment in school. The benefit amount awarded each month will depend on those same factors. To find more information, visit this link.
• The College SNAP Project is a SNAP benefits application for college students. There is an application process, and there are no penalties for applying or re-applying. Call (866) 821-5552 to learn more or apply online. As this is a state-based resource, international students are not eligible.
• 211: 211 is a community resource hub available to Maryland residents. You can access resources for potential assistance with food, housing, utilities, legal information, and more through the website or by dialing “211.” On the “Food” section under “Resources,” you can find information regarding food pantries, food distributions, food vouchers, and other food resources by inputting your zip code. This service is available throughout the country, and resources change within each county.
• Maryland Food Bank: Access this link to find food pantries near you by inputting your address.
• Baltimore Free Foods Sites: Access this interactive map to find free food pantries/distributions/resources in the Baltimore area. The legend provides additional access details.

Food Resources Near JHU

• The Franciscan Center: The Franciscan Center offers food pantry bags as well as prepared food plates.
• Saint Phillip & James: The Saint Phillip & James church has weekly pantry hours.
• The Church of the Redeemed of the Lord Food Pantry: Information regarding distributions and times can be found here.

Homewood undergrads can also reach out to Student Outreach and Support at 410-516-7857, or [email protected] to get connected with a case manager about food insecurity or other support resources they may be needing—in particular, those students who are home in a different state and need help navigating the resources available to them there.