Pitt is committed to fostering a sense of community and providing support for all students throughout its five campuses—in classrooms, offices, residence halls, laboratories, and every other place where people work, research, and learn.
Care Advocates
Care Advocates | Division of Student Affairs are a confidential resource for students with experiences related to identity-based discrimination, harassment, bias, and/or misconduct (including sexual misconduct). In the Care and Resource Support office, Care Advocates provide trauma-informed emotional support and can help you navigate University offices, systems, and procedures.
Care Advocates are not required to report incidents of sexual misconduct to the Office of Title IX. Drop-in hours are listed on the website.
Disability Resources and Services
Disability Resources and Services (DRS) is the entity designated by the University to determine reasonable accommodations and services for individuals with disabilities. Pitt is committed to providing equal opportunities in higher education to academically qualified students with disabilities.
Through an interactive process, DRS works individually with each student to provide access to University classes, programs, and activities.
Learn more about accommodations and applying for services.
Graduate Global Ties
Launched in 2022 by the Office of the Provost - Graduate Studies, in collaboration with the Division of Student Affairs, Graduate Global Ties (GGT) is a peer mentoring program for incoming international graduate and professional students.
GGT actively seeks to welcome new international graduate and professional students into Pitt’s campus community, support them as they adjust to Pittsburgh and their academic journey, and foster a sense of belonging, encouragement, and care.
Office of Institutional Engagement & Wellbeing
The Office of Institutional Engagement & Wellbeing provides leadership and resources and partners with units and campuses to create welcoming environments that enable everyone to succeed.
Find more information by section:
PERSAD Center
The PERSAD Center is a human service organization whose mission is to improve the well-being of the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning) and HIV/AIDS communities. It serves its target populations and their loved ones, cradle to grave, across Western Pennsylvania, with a service center in Pittsburgh.
Services include outreach, prevention, counseling, training, and advocacy. The PERSAD Center was created as an affirming counseling center to help LGBTQ people cope with the social discrimination they experienced and receive professional counseling services without prejudice because of their identity.
Provost’s Advisory Committee on Women’s Concerns
The Provost’s Advisory Committee on Women’s Concerns (PACWC) seeks to ensure a productive environment for faculty, students, and staff, particularly in areas related to women’s concerns. It focuses on general issues of campus climate and programs as they affect women throughout the University.
PACWC also seeks to assist the provost and the University community through its mandate. Two graduate students typically serve on PACWC.
University Holidays and Religious Observance Guidelines
The University has a tradition of recognizing religious observances of members of the University community in instances where those observances may conflict with University activities. On such dates, students should not be penalized for absences from classes, and other academic activities should not be scheduled.
Examples of such occasions are Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Muharram, Diwali, and Good Friday, but other days of religious observance may conflict with scheduled academic activities.
Graduate students should raise the potential for conflicts with days of religious observances as early as possible with their instructors and advisors.
Read the most recent Provost's Memo on Religious Observances during the Academic Year.