If you think there's a student on campus in crisis who could use help or who might be a potential risk to self or others, here's what you can do:
Colleges and universities across the country have begun organizing systematic ways to address students of concern to provide needed help and interventions before students' needs are escalated. In theory, these teams are meant to ensure the sharing of appropriate information among key personnel and serve a number of purposes to:
Research shows that in most instances, the student's need for intervention or help may have been evident to faculty, advisors, staff, or other students and friends but usually no single person had the full picture of the student’s concerns, or the training to evaluate and respond appropriately. Critical campus incidents, such as the tragic shootings at Virginia Tech in 2007, accelerated the drive to organize teams that address student crises and provide mental health services through collecting and analyzing reports and developing interventions. These teams focus on student success but also develop cross-functional, collaborative threat assessment strategies seeking to make informed judgments and on how credible the threat itself is and to what extent the individual has the intent and means to carry out the threat (motivation, resources, etc.). The Students of Concern (SOC) Team was formed to become the campus nexus, develop care and threat assessment systems, and initiate a team-based response system. Alongside the BC’s Starfish alert program, SOC helps in a systemic referral process and response coordination.
The SOC Team of professionals meet weekly to discuss cases that have been brought to attention (through instructors, starfish alerts, student conduct, Title IX, etc.), attended training and certification courses on best practices, and develop procedures (referral processes, suicidal student protocols, expanded informed consent, etc.) to respond to student needs. The team provides professional development to help address student concerns and how to refer students to the resources they need. For more information please contact any of the members of the team.
The Office of Student Life hosts graduate students who are attaining their master’s in social work. They are student interns working under the supervision of Dr. Nicky Damania, Director of Student Life. Their role is to help BC students succeed by providing wrap-around services connecting them to public benefits, institution and community resources, and addressing non-academic barriers that may hinder a student from achieving academic success. They are part of the college’s response team and are mandatory reporters. They also are standing members of the Students of Concern (SOC) team who meet weekly with other BC Staff members to discuss issues that may affect a student’s well-being and self-efficacy such as fair and equal access to financial aid services, employment, disability, and health services.