Student of Concern Team
THE STUDENT OF CONCERN TEAM AT BEREA COLLEGE
Berea College’s Student of Concern Team was created in the fall of 2013 as the result of awareness across university campuses of the need for effective structure and response to student mental health and campus safety issues.
The purpose of the Student of Concern Team is to facilitate early identification of students who exhibit evidence of troubling behaviors, and to intervene with support and resources before problems escalate into a crisis that jeopardizes the student’s chance of success or safety, or interferes with the success or safety of other students. “Exhibit troubling behaviors” is defined as:
The Student of Concern Team meets weekly on Monday mornings following the Intervention Response Team. The Intervention Response Team discusses students who may need additional support in academics and labor aspects of the college experience, and are identified through the Performance Check System or a member of the team.
The weekly Student of Concern meetings with persons from different aspects of the college in attendance may detect a pattern of troubling behavior and can intervene as soon as possible. The goal is to intervene before a problem becomes a crisis.
The Student of Concern Team members include:
Assoc. Vice President for Student Life and/or Assoc. Dean of Student Life
Student Life Liaison
Student Life Executive Assistant
Director of the Office of Student Success & Transition
Enrollment Operations & Advising Technology Specialist, Office of Academic Affairs
Labor Program Coordinator
Director of Public Safety
Director of Counseling Services
Director of the Campus Christian Center
Special Assistant to the Office of the President
When to refer students: Referrals can be prompted by any of the following:
- a noticeable change in personality or decline in personal appearance and/or a student repeatedly engaging in unusual, erratic, or disruptive behaviors in class, labor, or residence halls. All of these can be signs of a student in crisis;
- dismissive behaviors or belligerence in response to expressions of concern;
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concern about the welfare of a student, yourself, or other students; or
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a student asks for help in dealing with alarming issues that are outside your role as a faculty or staff member.
How to Refer Students:
NOTE: The Student of Concern Team is not for emergencies. If your situation is an emergency, contact Public Safety at (859) 985-3333. In cases of imminent danger, call 911.
Referrals of students come to the team for preliminary review. If more information is needed, a designated team member may contact the person who made the referral and request clarification or augmentation. When the referral is complete, it is added to the agenda of the team for the upcoming meeting, at which time the team will review and determine the appropriate response/support.
Receipt of referrals will be confirmed, however, due to the privacy constraints, details of the resolution of the situation may not be shared.