Concerned About a Student?
Faculty/Staff Guide for Helping Students
Faculty and staff are often the first to recognize when a student may not be doing well academically or is feeling distressed. There are many reasons why students may be struggling or in distress, including relationship difficulties, stress, physical or mental health issues, academic challenges, or financial problems. Reaching out demonstrates care and helps connect students to campus resources, which plays an essential role in supporting student success.
Tips for reaching out to a student needing help:
- Speak with the student in private
- Show you care in specific, nonjudgmental terms that reflect concern for the well-being of the student. Discuss behaviors that have caused concern.
- Listen and acknowledge their feelings.
- Let the student know that you believe a consultation with a staff member from the Counseling Center or Dean of Students may be helpful for continued support.
- Still unsure what to do? Call the Counseling Center at (956) 665-2574 or the Vaqueros Crisis Line available 24/7 at (956) 665-5555 for consultation.
- If the student is at immediate risk of suicide, call 911 and stay with the student until help arrives.
| Past Month | ||
|---|---|---|
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YES | NO |
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YES | NO |
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If the answer is YES in Question 2, make sure to answer questions 3, 4, 5, and 6. If the answer is NO in Question 2, skip directly to question 6 |
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YES | NO |
|
YES HIGH RISK |
NO |
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YES HIGH RISK |
NO |
| Always Ask Question 6 | Past 3 Months | Lifetime |
|
HIGH RISK |
HIGH RISK |
Any YES requires a behavioral health referral. However, if the answer to 4, 5, or 6 is YES, contact a mental health professional immediately—this can be done by contacting the Counseling Center at (956) 665-2574 or the Vaqueros Crisis Line available 24/7 at (956) 665-5555. If there appears to be an immediate risk of danger to that student or if you feel your safety is at risk, call UTRGV PD at 956-882-4911 or 911.
Note: Don't leave the person alone. Stay with them until they are in the care of professional help.
Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training
To learn how to best help someone (family member, friend, student, stranger) who may be suicidal, the Counseling Center offers formalized training called Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training. This is a two-hour training to learn how to recognize common signs that someone may be suicidal and how to effectively intervene to bridge the person to the help they need. You do not need any professional license to learn and apply this. We typically train groups of between 10 and 25 people at a time. If you have an interested group, please get in touch with us via email at counseling@utrgv.edu or by phone at 956-665-2574. You can also submit a Presentation Request online.
Referring Students
UTRGV’s online reporting system, called Vaqueros Report It, allows students, staff, and faculty a way to report when someone needs assistance or there is a potential violation of institutional policy. Urgent matters should be reported to the local police or the University Police Department at (956) 882-4911.
Refer Students When...
- They behave or communicate to you that they are having difficulty.
- Your efforts to manage a significant classroom behavioral issue have not resolved the problem.
- Concerned about the welfare of a student, other students, or yourself.
- They ask for help in dealing with personal issues that are outside your role as a faculty or staff member.
- You are not sure how to help.
Warning Signs
Marked changes in academic performance, a noticeable decline in personal appearance, and/or a student repeatedly engaging in disruptive behaviors in class can all be signs of a student in crisis. Some behavioral warning signs carry more weight than others and multiple indicators increase the risk of potential harm to self and/or others.
- Unusual or erratic behavior in class, the residence halls, during advising sessions, etc.
- Extended absence from class or activities by a typically engaged student.
- Written work or creative expression with troubling themes or references.
- Verbal or written threats made by a student toward another student, faculty, or staff.
- Written or verbal expressions of suicidal ideation or intent
- Students that are excessively disruptive of the administrative, teaching, or learning environment.
- Exhibits actions and/or words that cause people around him/her to become fearful and suspicious.
- Difficulty controlling anger, aggressive behavior, impulsivity, and making threats — particularly, anger that is expressed intensely and frequently for seemingly minor reasons.
- Refuses to abide by written and/or verbal rules. Rejects the authority of faculty and staff.
- Isolation, inability to establish friendships, does not seem to fit in, less engaged, and prefers to be alone.
Addressing Disruptive Classroom Behavior: A Reference Guide for Instructors
(adapted from the University of Wisconsin)
Occasionally instructors may have a student who exhibits disruptive behavior in the classroom. Such disruptive behavior may persistently or grossly interfere with the academic learning environment, thereby making it difficult for other students to learn and instructors to teach. The following guidelines are intended to assist instructors in dealing with these situations. They are not intended to provide information on classroom management or to tell instructors how to teach.
- Some disruptive behavior can be dealt with by the instructor in an informal manner by speaking directly with the student and setting clear expectations for further conduct in the classroom. Instructors may wish to consult with their Department Chair and/or other colleagues for help and advice in such matters.
- Since there are a wide variety of disruptive behaviors possible, the instructor may want to discuss the student’s behavior with a member of the Dean of Students office or Student Rights & Responsibilities. These staff will assist the instructor in developing strategies for working with the student.
- If a student continues to be disruptive, the instructor should direct that student to leave the classroom. If they refuse to leave, the University police can be called to assist. For such cases of repeated, blatant, and irresolvable disruptive behaviors, instructors should report using Vaqueros Report It by including details about the situation. The instructor can also contact the Dean of Students office or Student Rights & Responsibilities to consult regarding potential strategies and responses, which may include initiating disciplinary proceedings.
- Any time a student’s classroom behavior is threatening towards any person (including themselves), the University police should be called immediately.
- The removal of a student from a class, voluntarily/involuntarily, and/or temporarily/ permanently; is a serious step, not to be taken lightly, and therefore must be handled utilizing whatever due process is appropriate. If you've asked a student to leave a single class session, a recommended approach is to follow up with the student before the next scheduled session. Explain why the behavior warranted you asking them to leave and refer to the syllabus, Vaquero Honor Code, and/or Student Conduct and Discipline policy if appropriate. It is helpful to share your behavioral expectations for continued class attendance and what steps you will take if the student displays the same or similar behavior in the future.
- There may be situations occurring outside the classroom where instructors feel threatened or very uncomfortable with a student’s behavior. Instructors should report these situations to the Dean of Students Office and/or the University police so appropriate interventions can happen before the matter escalates.
A good resource on disruptive students is Coping with the Disruptive College Student: A Practical Model by Gerald Amada, Ph.D. Nothing in these guidelines is intended to infringe upon the academic freedom of the instructor or student. Two fundamental principles to observe:
- Students have the right to express opinions germane to the subject matter of a course;
- Instructors have the right to guide classroom discussion and to set reasonable limits on the classroom time made available to students for the expression of their opinions. The responsibility for striking a balance between these principles rests with instructors.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you feel that a student might be struggling or you feel concern, gather more information by talking to the student privately.
As per FERPA, school officials are allowed to share student information with other school officials who have a legitimate education interest. Refrain from using personal identifiable information from student education records (grades, reports of misconduct) with any person who has no educational interest in the incident. You may find it helpful to discuss this matter with your department head or supervisor.
It is possible to remain anonymous when reporting concerning behaviors or other incidents; however, in some cases an anonymous report may limit or prolong the process of finding a solution or helping the individual.
The Dean of Students staff serves all students. Although graduate and professional students typically liaison with student affairs professionals in their respective schools, our office is here to serve all students, regardless of program or enrollment status.
Once a student is connected to the Dean of Students office, Counseling Center, or the student conduct process, it is unlikely that additional information will be shared with you regarding the student’s case. We do not disclose information without a student’s consent unless there is a need to know, or there is a health and safety concern. We do encourage students to share with others only the information that they are comfortable sharing. Upon request, we will notify a student’s instructors that they are seeking support from our office.
Instructors are encouraged to show their concern by contacting students directly. If a student has stopped attending class after the add/drop deadline or if their attendance is sporadic, a staff member from the Dean of Students can also attempt to contact the student and discuss the concern. You can report your concern about a student through Vaqueros Report It.
If the behavior in question is distracting to the classroom setting, but not disruptive, try speaking with the student after class. Most students are unaware of distracting habits or mannerisms and have no intent to be offensive or disruptive. In cases of persistent classroom disruption, you have the right to ask the student to leave your class for the remainder of the class period. The student should be told the reason for such action and be given the opportunity to discuss the matter with the faculty member as soon as practicable.
You should call the police whenever you believe there is any threat of violence or other unlawful behavior. Any threat of violence should be taken seriously.
It is important to document and respond to all incidents. Early intervention might help define needed boundaries for a student and avoid harsher consequences that are a result of more serious infractions in the future.
The fact that a student may have a disability should not inhibit you from reporting disruptive behavior. A student with or without disabilities needs to know they must adhere to reasonable behavioral standards.
Yes, as a UTRGV employee you have the duty to report incidents of sexual misconduct to the Title IX Coordinator or other appropriate designee, or an employee whom an individual could reasonably believe has this duty. Responsible employees include all administrators, faculty, supervisory staff, resident life directors and advisors, and graduate teaching assistants, except individuals who work or volunteer in the Office of Victim Advocacy and Violence Prevention or the Counseling Center. Responsible employees can find contact information for the Title IX coordinator and deputy coordinators at the Office of Title IX & Equal Opportunity.