Diversity and Inclusion
Campus Offices
Page Content
Office of Community and Belonging
The Office of Community and Belonging provides experiences to foster students' growth and development and create a more caring and welcoming campus community. We are on a mission to create more globally aware citizens by helping Southern Miss students connect to the surrounding Hattiesburg community through service.
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Community and Belonging strives to increase recruitment and retention of diverse students by creating a strong sense of campus community and assisting students in becoming successful graduates. It sponsors the Prism LGBTQ+ Resource Office, Allies Training, and the University's Black History Month program, among other events and initiatives. |
Prism LGBTQ+
Strives on creating an affirming and supportive campus environment for students of all gender and sexual identities, and to provide academic, campus, and community resources for students, faculty, and staff. It's activities include providing Allies training under the the Office of Community and Belonging.
International Student & Scholar Services (ISSS)
Striving to be a leader in providing for the needs of non-immigrant students and scholars while promoting a culture of inclusivity, diversity, and mutual support at USM. ISSS serves the international student and scholar community by providing advice, counseling, and advocacy regarding academic, personal, and immigration concerns.
Office of Disability Accommodations (ODA)
Southern Mississippi is committed to providing equal access for persons with disabilities and prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the admission or access to, or treatment or employment in programs or activities.
The Office of Disability Accommodations (ODA) interacts with all offices and departments on campus to ensure that students with disabilities have full access to, and participation in, university activities. ODA strives to create a positive campus environment where students with disabilities are encouraged to pursue careers on the basis of personal interest and ability.
Institute for Disability Studies (IDS)
The Institute for Disability Studies (IDS) is Mississippi's University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) Research, Education, and Service, which Its mission is to positively affect the lives of Mississippi citizens with developmental and other disabilities and their families across the life span and to work toward increasing their independence, productivity, and integration into their communities. IDS has a variety of programs to assist individuals with disabilities and their families with priority areas such as housing, early intervention, inclusive child care, training and employment for young people with disabilities, assistive technology, recreation, health, education, and family support.
Office of Affirmative Action & Equal Employment Opportunity
The Office of Affirmative Action & Equal Employment Opportunity protects the Civil Rights of all Southern Miss students and employees.
Title IX Office
Within USM's Title IX Office, the Title IX Coordinator has primary responsibility for coordinating the University's efforts to comply with and carry out its responsibilities under Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in the operations of this University, as well as retaliation for the purpose of interfering with any right or privilege secured by Title IX.
University Committees
- The University's Institutional Diversity Committee (IDC) identifies and addresses issues of inclusivity by constructively engaging the University community and advising the President on policies, procedures, and programs that encourage the University to live by the values expressed in our non-discrimination policy statement.
- The Committee on Services and Resources for Women (CSRW) is an interdisciplinary group of USM-affiliated individuals interested in women's issues on campus and in the local Hattiesburg community. Since 1984, the CSRW has been active in the promotion of women's issues by coordinating the University's annual Women's History Month program and providing funding for research by faculty and students related to gender and women.