Who CARES? Identifying and Referring At Risk Students Roxanne DelRio Jessica DeRoche Tracey Fleniken Amy Mitchell K. Wayne Smith

O BJECTIVES  Purpose and benefits of NCTC CARES (Campus Assessment Response Evaluation Services) Team  Array of services under CARES umbrella  Academic Early Alert  OSD (Office for Students with Disabilities)  Project REV (Resources for Ending Violence)  Code of Conduct and Judicial Affairs  Behaviors that should be referred to the CARES Team  How to communicate with students exhibiting these behaviors  Methods of referral and how the CARES Team responds

 Process to identify and assess low level behaviors BEFORE they escalate, and possibly interfere with a student’s success or safety  Prevention vs. Reaction-NOT Crisis Management  Connect students to appropriate services and resources, enhance success and retention  Provide a structured, positive method to respond to students whose behavior is disruptive to themselves or others  Assist in protecting the health, safety and welfare of the students and members of the college community  Referring and reporting, not diagnosing- alert the CARES Team and we will take it from there! P URPOSE

 FERPA does not prohibit or in any way restrict a college employee from sharing what they personally observe  FERPA permits school officials to disclose (without student consent) educational records, including personally identifiable information from those records, to protect the health or safety of students or other individuals  Therefore, a college employee would not violate FERPA by advising the CARES Team of what he or she saw or heard when directly interacting with a student or when observing a student’s interactions with others  FERPA authorizes school officials to disclose educational records to other school officials who have a legitimate educational interest in those records FERPA

you will be notified via your NCTC address  The NCTC Early Alert program has been established to assist students who are at risk of failing or withdrawing from a course. Your instructor may refer you to this program if you are missing assignments, failing tests, excessively absent, or have personal circumstances impacting your academic performance. If submitted as an Early Alert you will be notified via your NCTC address and then contacted by a Counseling and Testing advisor or counselor to discuss possible strategies for completing your course successfully.  The NCTC CARES (Campus Assessment Response Evaluation Services) Team addresses behavior which may be disruptive, harmful or pose a threat to the health and safety of the NCTC community-such as stalking, harassment, physical or emotional abuse, violent or threatening behavior, or self-harm. As a student, you have the ability to report concerning behavior which could impact your own safety or the safety of another NCTC student. Just click the NCTC CARES Team logo posted on MyNCTC, or send an to As always, if you feel there is an immediate threat to your own safety or welfare (or to another student), please call 911 immediately. S YLLABUS S TATEMENT

 If you are concerned about a student's academic performance (excessive absences, poor test grades, etc.), and feel this student could benefit from talking with an advisor or counselor about available on-campus support services, then submit an Early Alert!  Send an to call, or come by the Counseling and Testing office to make a referral, or use this feature in your MyNCTC Course  Counseling and Testing staff will follow up with the student directly and connect them with appropriate resources and/or develop strategies for success E ARLY A LERT

 Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides assistance to students requesting disability-related services  Students are not required to disclose disabilities, and do not have to utilize OSD services  Some behaviors may be symptoms of a disability, rather than signs of a “dangerous” student (ex. no eye contact, odd speech patters, tremors)  Even if a disability is obvious, respect the student’s privacy and do not ask personal questions in front of others  Not our role to diagnose students, but instead give them information about all campus resources  Faculty and Staff Resource Guide and online training material available on the OSD websiteOSD website  OSD staff are available for consultation and in-person training OSD

Is a federally funded-grant program at NCTC focused on raising awareness and prevention of:  Domestic & Dating Violence  Sexual Assault  Stalking Provides:  Prevention Strategies (to prevent violence before it starts)  Education and raising awareness through presentations, trainings, and events  Intervention Services (provide resources for victims of violence)  Advocacy, Counseling services, Resources & Referrals P ROJECT REV

Domestic violence is a pattern of abusive behavior where one person in an intimate relationship uses abusive tactics to maintain power and control over the other.  Intimate partner violence can exist in any dating relationship, not just one that involves cohabitating or married partners.  Violent tactics can include physical, verbal and emotional, sexual and financial abuse. Any or all of these types of abuse can be used by an abuser to gain power and control over an intimate partner.  Domestic violence crosses all cultural and socio-economic boundaries, including education, ethnicity, economic status, sexuality, etc.  1 in 4 women will be in an abusive relationship in her lifetime. (Center for Health and Gender Equity)  Women ages most at risk of experiencing nonfatal domestic violence (U.S. Department of Justice) D OMESTIC V IOLENCE

 Sexual assault is any sexual act or sexual contact that occurs without the explicit consent of both parties.  Many times, victims blame themselves for the assault, based on common myths such as “I shouldn’t have left the party with him,” “I should have fought back more,” or “I shouldn’t have been drinking.” But, it is important to remember that no one ever asks to be sexually assaulted. The ONLY person to blame for an assault is the assailant!  1 in 6 women will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network)  75% of rape victims knew their assailant prior to the assault (Psychology of Women Quarterly) P ROJECT REV

 Stalking is repeated harassing or threatening behavior towards a specific person that causes that person to feel fear.  According to the Texas Penal code, two or more threatening actions constitute stalking.  A stalker uses abusive tactics that can include, but are not limited to:  Contact via phone, text, , mail  Following the victim or showing up wherever s/he is  Watching the victim  Damaging the victim’s property  Talking to/Threatening people the victim knows  Using technology (spyware, cameras, websites, etc.) to spy on the victim  1 in 6 women will be stalked in her lifetime. (The National Center for Victims of Crime)  75% of stalking victims are stalked by someone they know. (United States Bureau of Justice Statistics) P ROJECT REV

 If you or someone you know is the victim of domestic or dating violence, sexual assault or stalking, Project REV can help.  Program Coordinator, Amy Mitchell  or  Counselor, Kathy Eubanks (Friends of the Family)  or ext. 261  Counselor, Kelly Fiore-Watson (Abigail’s Arms)  or  National Domestic Violence Hotline  24-Hour Domestic Violence Hotline SAFE (7233)   Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network  24-Hour Sexual Assault Hotline HOPE  P ROJECT REV

Judicial Affairs- Student Services Department  Common Student Code of Conduct Violations: Vulgar Language and/or Disruptive Behavior Fighting Violating Tobacco Free Policy Appearance of Intoxication or Drug Use Disrespecting staff, faculty, and other students Theft or Property Damage  If any of these behaviors are an immediate threat to safety of students, staff, faculty and/or the campus community, please call 911 from a campus phone and alert your Campus Administrator. C ONDUCT & J UDICIAL A FFAIRS

Distress (Mild or Moderate) o Changes in academic performance in or out of the classroom o Changes in pattern of interaction and/or attendance o Changes in physical appearance o Problems concentrating, remembering Disturbance (Elevated)  Behaviors that push the limit and may disrupt learning  Unusual emotional responses – screaming, swearing  Persistent sadness  High levels of irritability  Repeated requests for special consideration B EHAVIORS TO R EPORT

Dysregulation (Extreme and Severe)  Statements related to death or dying  Threats of harming self or others  Behavior that is highly disturbed  Outbursts of anger  Irrational conversation or speech  Loss of contact with reality  Irrational feelings of persecution  Verbally and nonverbally threatening Red flag phrases- “I promise” and “Can you keep a secret?”  Students cannot promise their own safety, and neither can you  s, writing assignments, artwork, etc. can be an outlet for secret feelings/distress  Secrets are usually information that needs to be reported I MMEDIATE R EPORTING

Show you care. Connect on a feeling level. Listen.  Say, “I’m concerned about you. I notice ___________.”  Listen with respect. Individuals in distress want to be heard. Get help. Explore options. Offer resources.  Ask, “Who or what can help with this situation?”  Avoid being the only lifeline. Get assistance.  Ask, “How would you feel about talking to an advisor or counselor?” or “Let’s walk over right now. I’ll go with you.” Ask about threatening behavior directly.  Talking about it does not put the idea in a students’ heads.  Say “I’m worried about you and I want you to be safe.” Let them know that if they are thinking of harming themselves or someone else, that is not a secret to be kept.  A judgment should be made by a mental health professional about the seriousness of a possible suicidal thought or behavior. C OMMUNICATION

 NCTC CARES Team (OSD, Project REV, Early Alert, Student Conduct) follow up is confidential-unless you will be directly involved with the student’s intervention, or there is a campus safety issue, then do not expect to receive personal details  Discussing referrals you have made or information that you are personally privy to, with anyone other than the NCTC CARES Team, is not appropriate. Unless discussion is a “professional consultation”, it is just gossip and not helpful to the student C ONFIDENTIALITY

 Break into small groups  Determine the course of action you would take in each situation  What questions or concerns would you have? S CENARIOS

 If no immediate risk, call your NCTC CARES Team campus contact- C ORINTH : (940) F LOWER M OUND : (972) B OWIE /G RAHAM /G AINESVILLE : (940)   Online reporting form located at : spx spx  Call 911 from a campus phone if there is an immediate risk to self or others, and alert your Campus Administrator R EFERRALS