Baker College Cares About Students
Our student-first philosophy informs everything we do. Care and concern for our students, as well as our colleagues is part of our foundation. But sometimes situations arise and we are unsure of how to handle them. Learn more below about our iCare resources.
Possible Reasons for a Referral
If you’re worried about a student in your class or unsure about a student’s changed or concerning behavior, let us help.
Student Well-Being
Mental Health Concerns
- Is a student talking about thoughts of harming themselves or others or engaging in harmful, illegal, or harmful behavior?
- Has a student’s mood changed noticeably?
Death of Family Member/Close Friend
Has a student mentioned the death of a loved one and expressed an inability to process their grief?
Self-Disclosed Personal Distress
Might include family problems, financial difficulties, suicidal thoughts, grief.
Bizarre Content in Writings/Presentations
Has a student turned in work that depicts harmful actions, fantasies, or off-color ideas?
Marked Changes in Physical Behavior
Can include deterioration in grooming or hygiene, significant weight loss/gain.
Social/Adjustment Concerns
- Does a student seem to struggle to make friends?
- Do they ask to work alone, or intentionally separate themselves during group work?
- Do they talk often about going home for weekends, or being alone when they are not in class?
Increased Need for Personal (Rather Than Academic) Counseling
When discussing potential issues with academic progress, does a student refer to personal concerns, fears, or frustrations regularly?
Unusual/Disproportionate Emotional Response to Events, Including Excessive Tearfulness
Has a student seemingly overreacted to a sensitive topic mentioned in class or on campus? Has a student exhibited off-putting anger, frustration, threats, etc?
Excessive Fatigue
Does a student repeatedly struggle to stay awake in class or other meetings or events on campus? Do they seem lethargic and unable to gain energy that might match the expectation of the situation?
Signs of Substance Abuse
Is a student showing signs of marked change in physical appearance or grooming, excessive fatigue, or a change in mood or behavior? Is a student’s speech slurred or stilted or thought-process slow or erratic?
Unprovoked Anger of Hostility
Has a student exhibited a sudden outburst toward another person in the class or group, or the instructor, seemingly without reason?
Academic Assignments/or Communication Dominated by Themes of Hopelessness, Rage, Worthlessness, Isolation, Despair, Acting out, Suicidal Ideation, Violence to Others
Can include any of the topics previously mentioned or others not specifically highlighted above.
Resource Concern
If a student expresses fear or concern about any of the following, please make a CARE team referral, or refer them to the Dean of Students’ office.
- Food Insecurity
- Financial Hardship
- Housing Concerns
- Living out of car
- Couch surfing
- About to be evicted
- Unstable housing
- Homeless
- Lack of academic resources or supplies
- In need of technology support (can’t afford laptop repair, or in need of temporary laptop replacement)
- In need of menstrual health products
Academic Referrals
All Academic referrals should be placed in Jenzebar’s Early Alert System and not through the CARE referral form.
Academic referrals include:
- Non-Attendance or Repeated Absences
- Student decline in quality of work/grades
- Disorganized Performance
- Student not responding to Faculty outreach
- Missing crucial academic success markers (low marks on the first testor midterm exam).
- Poor time management/organizational skills
- Procrastination/Lack of Motivation
Make a Referral
Follow the link below to submit a referral to the CARE Team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Baker College’s CARE Team is a proactive collaborative team of Baker College faculty and staff dedicated to enhancing student success through a coordinated, objective approach to prevention, referral, assessment, response, intervention and management of situations that may impact the well-being of the student and the College. The CARE Team develops plans specific to the needs of the student, faculty, or staff member on a case-by-case basis, and will follow up regularly with the student to ensure needs are being addressed or have been met.
The CARE Team is responsible for reviewing reported behaviors of concern and developing appropriate responses for members of the Baker community, to include students, faculty, and staff. We assess the composition of the CARE Team and change membership when appropriate. We develop any needed policies, protocols and procedures to formalize CARE Team actions in regards to reports of concern about students, faculty, staff and visitors to the College. We also develop and implement education and outreach plans to ensure that processes and contacts are well known by the Baker community.
Having clear procedures and plans of action when behavioral issues arise is critical to ensure the safety and security of the entire campus community. The CARE Team will provide leadership and guidance on these processes and also respond to inquiries and issues as they arise.
Every member of the Baker community can do something to show that they care. The primary action you can take to help a person is to provide support. Consider the tips below that include many ways we can all support members of our community. Helping often means getting others involved who have expertise and are responsible for working with individuals who may be struggling.
Upon receipt of a CARE Report, the CARE Team will review the information provided and then strategize the best way to follow-up. Unless submitting a form anonymously, individuals who make a referral will be contacted by a representative of the CARE Team for more information or clarification prior to a CARE Team member contacting the individual of concern. Depending on the circumstances, that individual may not receive specific information about how the CARE Team plans on responding to their referral. Examples of responses may include the following:
- The CARE Team may determine that there is no need for further action but will monitor the situation and concern.
- A CARE Team representative will circle back around to the referral source and provide suggestions and ways to respond to the concerning behavior.
- A CARE Team representative may reach out to the individual of concern directly to provide support and resources.
- If the situation requires immediate action, such as situations where the individual is an immediate threat to self or others, the CARE Team may coordinate with Campus Safety to assist in the response.
Behavioral indicators of concern or student distress may present subtly or in a very clear manner. Behaviors may manifest verbally, physically, or in writing (such as in an email, drawing, or via social media). The following listing of concerning behaviors are some examples that may be indicative of a student in distress and may lead you to refer your concern to the CARE Team:
- Sharing of hopelessness, wishes of death/not being alive, suicidal thinking or behavior
- Engaging in behaviors that are harmful to themselves or to others
- References to or preoccupation with violence, weapons, stalking or harassing behavior
- Delusions, hallucinations, confused, disorganized or bizarre thoughts, and/or disruptive behavior
- Not seeming able to maintain their health and safety (such as not eating, not sleeping, not washing, engaging in reckless/dangerous behavior)
To contact the CARE Team or to report a concern for a student, please make a referral or contact us via email at [email protected]. The Care Team is not for emergencies. If a student’s behavior presents an immediate threat please call 911.
Many staff, faculty, family members, and concerned others refer students to the CARE Team for various reasons. Occasionally, individuals choose to remain anonymous on the reporting form. The CARE Team sometimes encourages the opposite, depending on the situation. It can actually help a student tremendously to know that someone cared enough to refer them to the Team for assistance.
No.The CARE Team process is not disciplinary. The CARE Team seeks to help students and our community remain safe.
The CARE Team will take reasonable steps to maintain the privacy of those who make a referral, if requested. If the circumstances do not allow privacy to be maintained, this will be discussed with the person making the referral. On occasion, the nature and context of the report may make it easy for the individual to speculate the reporting source.
This depends on the situation. You may be contacted if the CARE Team needs additional information regarding your report. Various privacy and confidentiality laws apply to the situations handled by the CARE Team.