As a CU-Boulder faculty or staff member, what would you do if a student in your class or campus office was showing signs of distress or experiencing challenging or difficult life circumstances? A good first step would be referring the student to CU-Boulder鈥檚听.
Over the past decade or so, many universities across the country have created student case management and "student of concern" teams. These groups are often tasked with helping students find the right resources to deal with common issues that college-age students face: stress, adjustment to life away from home and relationship issues. The teams also deal with other more serious issues such as threat assessments, mental illness onset and suicide.听
CU-Boulder created such a team about five years ago, according to听Christina Gonzales, CU-Boulder's Dean of Students and chair of the CU-Boulder Student of Concern team. Student Support and Case Management at CU-Boulder provides consultation and assists students who are experiencing distress. If a student situation is acute or the case managers need additional problem-solving assistance, the case will go to the (SOCT). The SOCT includes staff members from areas of campus who are involved with students on a daily basis.听
"We are here to help the students and be supportive, but we also want our campus community to be safe," Gonzales said. "So it's a balance to be safe and to let faculty and staff know that they don't have to deal with these issues on their own."
While Gonzales says there is no cut-and-dried answer as to when a faculty or staff member should refer a student, those who are exhibiting worrisome, disturbing, or disruptive behaviors are common reasons for a referral. Sometimes it is over time, other times it's immediate, such as a really strange email, or an episode during or after class. Once Student Support and Case Management receives a student referral (), the case managers will outreach out to the student.
"Many of the students who are typically referred to our team may be struggling with being away from home or with a breakup or stress, in which case they may just need resources and support," Gonzales said. "Other students may have suicidal thoughts, be off their medication, or mental illness may be just starting to appear, so their cases would involve more. In some cases we may suggest that a student take a semester break if they are dealing with too much to handle."
Once a student is referred, the case managers meet with the student to evaluate what is best for the specific situation. If the student is referred to the SOCT, the team figures out additional actions to take to help the student. The CU-Boulder SOCT members come from Housing and Dining Services, Office of Student Conduct, CU Police Department, Disability Services, Counseling and Psychological Services, Legal Counsel, while also having a case manager. Having such an array of expertise from areas across campus is what makes the team successful.
"We try to take all of the experience from everyone in the room to determine the best course of action for each student who is referred to the team," Gonzales said. "For example, we look at what, if any, threat is present. The case managers then take it from there in most cases."
Sometimes the team also works to determine what the student's behavior baseline is鈥攚hat their personality is or what their normal behavior is.
"While a student's baseline might be different or uncomfortable, it is where the person lives," Gonzales said. "Where we get worried is if it goes above that baseline."
How students react when they receive referrals is another question that often comes up, according to Gonzales.
"At first students may feel like they're in trouble, but once they get here, they realize that we're here to help," she said. "Our goal is to be able to help students as early as possible, so they can stay in school and be successful."
The success of Student Support and Case Management and of the Student of Concern Team, and the ability to get students the help they need, while keeping the campus safe, is only possible when the group receives referrals from faculty and staff on campus.听
"At the end of the day, we can only do something if we are notified. If it raises a concern, it is better to report it, even if it seems like a small matter,鈥� Gonzales said. "We aren't saying that we can prevent an act on campus. The goal is to intervene at such an early stage that it doesn't elevate."