Belonging & Wellbeing

Student-Athlete Development offers a wide range of services to support student-athlete wellbeing and foster belonging in our community. These offerings include affinity groups, team workshops, and speaking events as well as resources such as LGBT SportSafe, the Athlete Ally organization, the campus LGBTQ Center, Safe Zone training sessions, One Love workshops, the Step Up! Bystander Intervention Program, One Act, UNC CAPS, Department of Sports Medicine counselors, the Seize the Awkward Initiative, and more.

Resources for Tar Heel Student-Athletes

Affinity Groups
Affinity groups are student-athlete led organizations formed around a shared identity or common goal to build community among group members, foster inclusion, and raise awareness in the broader environment. They create a safe space for group members to share about their experiences and work together to advocate for change.

For more information or to join one of our affinity groups, reach out to Cricket Lane at cricket@unc.edu, Anton Down-Jenkins at antondj@unc.edu, or the specific group's point of contact below.

Student-Athletes Facilitating Equity (SAFE)
• SAFE's mission is to provide an inclusive environment and empowering safe space for student-athletes of ALL backgrounds and levels of understanding to motivate them to come together and create social change. SAFE is integral in continuing conversations surrounding social issues, celebrating all cultures, as well as mobilizing efforts to evoke change within society.
• Student-Athlete Contacts: Kaimon Rucker, tuxedo19@unc.edu; Iman Tucker, itucker@unc.edu
• Instagram: @safeunc

Athlete Ally:
• Athlete Ally provides LGBTQIA+ student-athletes and allies a safe space of support and advocacy to help create and sustain an inclusive athletic community. Athlete Ally believes that everyone should have equal access, opportunity, and experience in sports – regardless or one's sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. UNC-CH Athlete Ally is proud to be one of 32 campus chapters nationwide championing inclusion and equality for LGBTQIA+ student-athletes.
• Student-Athlete Contacts: Stella Harrison, stellph@unc.edu; Molly Warden, mwarden@unc.edu;
• Instagram: @uncathleteally

Female Athletes Stand Together (FAST):
• FAST is an affinity group that was created to uplift female student-athletes in and out of their sports. By fostering support, building lifelong connections, and championing equality and inclusion, FAST is dedicated to creating a stronger community for all female athletes.
• Student-Athlete Contacts: Delea Martins, delea@unc.edu; Chloe Gaither, cgaith@unc.edu
• Instagram @uncxfast

Student-Athlete Mental Health Alliance:
• The Student-Athlete Mental Health Alliance is dedicated to promoting mental well-being and resilience among student-athletes through peer support, awareness initiatives, and resource accessibility. By fostering a community that prioritizes mental health, this group aims to empower student-athletes to thrive both on and off the field.
• Student-Athlete Contact: Sully Shelton, sullivan.shelton@unc.edu

Student-Athlete Pre-Health Alliance (SAPHA):
• SAPHA is a student-lead organization that aims to increase access to resources for student-athletes looking to pursue a pre-health path on top of their athletic responsibilities. SAPHA aims to build a supportive community so that student-athletes can successfully navigate healthcare careers.
• Student-Athlete Contact: Spencer Williams, spc@unc.edu

Health and Wellness
Sports Medicine
Sports Medicine is an integral part of the health care team at Carolina whose staff provides a unique service essential to the quality health care of the athletic population at UNC. The Sports Medicine Division will utilize any and all of the resources available to identify players' predisposition to injuries, implement programs to prevent injuries, provide emergency care for injuries, diagnose injuries and conditions, and rehabilitate injuries in order to return players to full participation as quickly and as safely possible.
Contact Sports Med at:
Stallings-Evans Sports Medicine Center: 919-962-2067
Kenan Sports Medicine Facility: 919-962-8519
Smith Center Athletic Training Room: 919-962-7129
Physical Therapy/Athletic Training Clinic: 919-966-6549
Sports Medicine at CHS: 919-966-3655
Matthew Gfeller Center: 919-962-0409

• Follow @UNCSportsMed on Instagram

Sports Nutrition
Sports Nutrition provides individual nutrition counseling, team performance nutrition education, meal planning assistance, dietary supplement review, and body composition testing when appropriate.
To set up an appointment or learn more, contact: Shira Evans, Assistant Director of Sports Nutrition, at sevans@unc.edu

• Follow @uncsportsnutrition on Instagram

Carolina Athletics Mental Health and Performance Psychology Program (MHPP)
The Carolina Athletics Mental Health and Performance Psychology program offers confidential individual counseling and performance psychology sessions, team sport psychology sessions, and groups/workshops for athletes. These services encompass a range of issues such as depression, anxiety, disordered eating, managing stress, exploring identity, coping with injury, and optimizing performance.

To make an appointment, email AthleticsMHPP@email.unc.edu or talk with your Athletic Trainer or Team Physician.

• Follow @unc_mhpp on Instagram

Heels Care Network
The Heels Care Network serves as a hub for mental health and well-being resources available to Carolina students, staff and faculty, including links to 24/7 support and suicide prevention resources. It also features a live chat and a link to an anonymous care referral form for anyone to report concerns they have for a student. The site is designed to help students, families, faculty and staff – our entire extended Tar Heel community – find the resources they need to support their mental health and well-being.

UNC Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS)
CAPS is committed to addressing the mental health needs of a diverse student body through timely access to consultation and connection to clinically appropriate services. For a first appointment, call 919-966-3655 or walk in on the 3^rd floor of Campus Health from 9:00 – 12:00, 1:00-4:00. Urgent needs can walk in 8:00 – 5:00, Monday – Friday.

After hours or on weekends, you can reach a licensed mental health professional at any time by calling CAPS 24/7 – 919-966-3655.
Instagram

For immediate mental health concerns, contact:
National Suicide Hotline, 1-800-273-TALK
Crisis Text Line, Text 741741
Department of Public Safety, 919-962-8100

Calm App
The ACC is offering a free subscription to the Calm App for all student-athletes. Calm is the #1 app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation and offers relaxing music, recorded mediations, mindfulness programs, video lessons on mindful movement, and more. If you have any difficulty accessing your account, please contact athleticsmhpp@email.unc.edu.

UNC Student-Athlete Handbook
The student-athlete handbook and risk management resources are intended to provide a foundation for our collective efforts to manage risk, ensure a safe environment for everyone, and foster an atmosphere of collective support for UNC student-athletes. All student-athletes are reminded of the importance of following the Department's Incident Reporting Guidelines in the event of any potential threat to safety or security on campus or involving anyone affiliated with UNC.

Sexual and Gender-Based Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, Sexual Assault or Sexual Violence, Interpersonal (Relationship) Violence, and Stalking
The Safe at UNC website is the main portal at UNC-Chapel Hill for resources and information about discrimination, harassment, sexual violence, interpersonal violence, and stalking.

CONFIDENTIAL MEDICAL SUPPORT
If you have experienced physical or sexual violence, you are encouraged to seek confidential medical support from Campus Health Services or the Emergency Department at UNC Hospitals. These services may include a forensic exam, general examination, evidence collection, pregnancy testing and prevention, and/or testing for and treatment of sexually transmitted infections. A forensic exam can be obtained from these locations up to 5 days after an assault.

Campus Health Services, 919-966-2281, M-F 8am-5pm
(for students and postdoctoral scholars)
Regardless of your identity, you should proceed directly to Women's Health on the third floor of Campus Health Services (James Taylor Building).

Emergency Department at UNC Hospitals, 919-966-4721, 24hr
(for employees, students, and the community)

CONFIDENTIAL EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT
You can obtain confidential emotional and psychological support at any time. You can access these services regardless of when the incident occurred and whether you make the decision to contact law enforcement and/or report the incident to the University.

            Gender Violence Services Coordinator, GVSC@unc.edu, 919-962-7430 or 919-962-1343
            (for all members of the campus community who have experienced an incident)

University Ombuds Office, ombuds@unc.edu, 919-843-8204
(for all members of the campus community)

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), 919-966-3658
(Psychological and emotional support for students and postdoctoral scholars)

ComPsych Employee Assistance Program, 877-314-5841
(for employees)

Orange County Rape Crisis Center, 919-968-4647 (office), 866-936-4783 (24 hr help line), 919-504-5211 (text line)
(for employees, students, and the community)

Compass Center for Women and Families, 919-929-7122 (24 hr crisis line)
(for employees, students, and the community)

Safety
Carolina Ready Safety App:
The Carolina Ready Safety App includes information about resources, emergency alerts, an in-app feature to report tips to UNC Police, and other features including mobile blue light, Friend Walk, and WorkAlone.

UNC-CH LGBTQ Center
The LGBTQ Center works to foster a welcoming and inclusive environment for Chapel Hill community members of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions via educational programs, community building, and support and advocacy.

Carolina Latinx Center
The CLC is a home for the Latinx community on campus, providing an outlet for events and a space for students to organize and for faculty to connect with students and the community at large. Find them at Abernethy Hall or contact them at 919-962-6850 or clc@unc.edu.
Instagram

UNC American Indian Center
The vision at the American Indian Center is to make the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill a leading public university for American Indian scholarship and scholars and make Native issues a permanent part of the intellectual life of the University. Its three primary goals are to create an environment in which quality research and scholarship related to American Indians is strengthened and nurtured, to enable Carolina to truly serve the First People of North Carolina, and to facilitate the inclusion of the American Indian peoples, with their unique and rich cultures, traditions, beliefs, and histories. Contact them at 919-843-4189 or aic@unc.edu.
Instagram

UNC Asian American Center
The Asian American Center's mission is to cultivate a critical understanding of Asian American peoples, cultures, and histories. Through education, organizing, and advocacy, the AAC engages and empowers Asian American students, faculty, and staff and the greater Carolina community. The AAC enhances the University's commitment to excellence by expanding access to interdisciplinary learning and preparing the next generation of leaders for an increasingly multicultural society. Contact them at 919-966-0275 or aac@unc.edu.
Instagram

Related Videos