Student Support Services Guide

Promote Appropriate Boundaries

One part of creating a strong mental health safety net is educating students, faculty, staff and families about the signs and symptoms of emotional problems and actions to take if they are concerned about a student. Faculty, students or other non-health care personnel should not serve in the capacity of a health/mental health professional. In particular, untrained individuals ought never to assume responsibility for a student who poses a risk of suicide or violence. For example, it is not legally advisable to ask resident assistants, friends or roommates to “watch” a student who may be at risk. Similarly, faculty and staff should avoid taking on a professional role for which they are not trained, as this may inadvertently cause several issues:

Students can become emotionally attached to staff members and then may be less willing to engage with a trained counselor, which can delay the student receiving appropriate treatment and potentially put the student at risk,
Non-trained staff members may be inadvertently putting themselves and the University at risk of liability should the student become harmed, and
Staff members themselves may experience increased emotional distress due to having taken on the responsibility for the student’s welfare. Non-mental health professionals need to be aware of formal support services (Kean Counseling Center, Office of Disability Services, CAS, tutoring, etc.) available to students and focus on making appropriate referrals.

Easily recognizable indicators that a student may be experiencing more stress than he or she can handle include:

Marked decline in quality of coursework, class participation, and quality of papers or test results, or increased absence from class or failure to turn in work
Excessive/repetitive requests for accommodations such as extensions on assignments, rescheduling exams and/or requests for incompletes
Prolonged depression, suggested by sad expression, apathy, dramatic weight loss or gain, sleeping difficulty, tearfulness
Nervousness, agitation, excessive worry, irritability, aggressiveness, nonstop talking
Bizarre, strange behavior or speech
Extreme dependency on faculty or staff, including spending much of his or her time visiting during office hours or other times
Marked decline in personal hygiene
Talk of suicide, either directly or indirectl,y such as, “I won’t be around to take that exam anyway” or “I’m not worried about getting a job; I won’t need one”
Comments in a student’s paper that arouse concern about depression, suicide, an abusive relationship, excessive anger, violent thoughts or other issues

Tips for referring a student

Normalize/destigmatize the situation by explaining that many people use counselors to discuss everyday problems in their lives
Emphasize that counseling provides a chance to explore feelings and solve problems with the help of an objective listener
Stress that counseling does not encourage dependency and, in fact, may be time limited on campus
The need for counseling is common; nearly half of college students surveyed have reported feeling so depressed it was difficult to function

Once the student has agreed that counseling may be useful, there are several possible steps to take depending on the urgency of the situation

Give the student information about the Counseling Center and urge him or her to call
Offer to let the student call from your office right then, so that a public commitment will have been made
Accompany the student yourself to make sure he or she arrives at the Counseling Center, and provide the office with any necessary information. The Counseling Center office staff will appreciate your calling ahead if the student is being brought over or sent directly, so that plans can be made to have a counselor available
When in doubt about what to do, faculty or staff should call the Counseling Center for advice

Confidentiality

Confidentiality is a critical requirement for an effective professional counseling and physician relationship. As such, the Kean Counseling Center staff is unable to give information back to the referring faculty or staff without the student’s permission. Exceptions to the usual rules of confidentiality may be made in situations involving danger to self, danger to others, child/elder abuse and court orders.

Statement on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act

Information from student education records may be shared within the University by those officials with a “legitimate educational interest” (as defined in the Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report). Information from records, files and data directly related to the student will not be disclosed by any means to individuals or agencies outside the University without the written consent of the student, except when it is considered directory information or in response to a subpoena or court order, under an exception to FERPA, or in those cases of specifically designated educational and governmental officials as required by FERPA.

Recognizing and Dealing with Student Conduct

Disruptive Conduct

Students may NOT:
Exhibit disruptive behavior that

Interferes with or obstructs the orderly conduct, processes and functions of the University or the rights of its community members
Interferes with or obstructs the orderly conduct, processes and functions within the classroom, including interfering with the academic mission of the University or with a faculty member or instructor
Interferes with or obstructs University disciplinary processes (harassment, intimidation or coercion of persons) before, during or after a proceeding
Disturbs the peace

Endanger themselves or another person by

Physical violence or actions
Interfering with the freedom of another person or group to move about in a lawful manner

Abuse others

Either verbally, in writing or via social media (including indecent or obscene expressions or conduct)
Causing fear, distress or intimidation to a reasonable person, causing him or her to fear injury or death

How to respond to a disruptive student:

If a student is causing a disruption but does not pose a threat:

Ensure your safety in the environment. Use a calm, nonconfrontational approach
Set limits by explaining how the behavior is inappropriate
If disruptive behavior persists, inform the student that disciplinary action may occur

If the behavior escalates and you believe there is a safety risk, or that the student is a threat to self or others, call the Kean Police immediately and report him or her to the Office of Community Standards and Student Conduct.

You may always ask the disruptive student to leave the classroom at the time of the disruption; however, be aware that he or she is permitted to return the next class period unless removed permanently pursuant to applicable procedures.

When in doubt, call the Kean Police at 911 or x74800.

Kean Office of Community Standards and Student Conduct

Phone: (908) 737-5240

Location: Miron Student Center, Room 317

Helping Students in Difficulty

Sexual Assault/Sexual Misconduct

Faculty and staff are not expected to take on the role of counselor, and the following information can help you provide appropriate assistance to students who reach out to you. First and foremost, it is important that you review the policy on Sexual Harassment and Sexual Misconduct located in the Annual Campus Security and Fire Safety Report (www.kean.edu/annual-campus-security-and-fire-safety-report).

What you can do

Listen nonjudgmentally. Accept the experience as the student describes it. Articulate clearly that you believe the student and you want to provide support in any way that you can
Validate the student’s feelings
Assure the student that it is not his or her fault. Self-blame is common among victims of sexual violence
Do not make judgmental comments. Do not comment on what could have been done differently or make statements that imply that the student could have avoided the harassment or assault
Be sympathetic. However, do not let your own emotions get in the way of supporting the student
Discuss options. Show him or her the Sexual Harassment and Sexual Misconduct Policy. Discuss resources such as the Kean Counseling Center, the Office of Community Standards and Student Conduct, and Kean Campus Police
Offer support, not justice. You may provide advice, guidance and information about the student’s options for additional support, but do not take matters into your own hands, offer to confront the perpetrator or investigate the incident on your own
Offer company. If the student is hesitant to get help, even from those who you know are supportive and helpful, offer to accompany him or her to those who can help. Sometimes that is all it takes to help a student begin to take action
Complete the Crime Statistics Report Form. It is expected that faculty and staff who receive credible reports of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct forward that information to the campus police by completing the Campus Security Authority Crime Statistics Report Form (located on the Office of Community Standards and Student Conduct website). This information is used for statistical purposes and does not have to include any identifiable student information

Common Reactions by Student Victims

The victim may not tell family members due to fear of being blamed or of being told to move home immediately
Very often, the victim cannot focus or concentrate on coursework. Even the most responsible student may skip class or work without notice
A student who is sexually assaulted may believe this trauma won’t affect academic performance, which may delay disclosure of the assault until the student sees that his or her work is suffering

Resources

Student Code of Conduct

Kean University Student Code of Conduct can be found at: www.kean.edu/policies/Code-of-Conduct.

At Kean, student members of the community are expected to abide by certain standards of conduct that form the basis of the Student Code of Conduct and ensure that their guests and visitors do likewise. These standards are embodied within a set of core values that include integrity, fairness, respect, community and responsibility. Examples of behavior prohibited by the Code include conduct that threatens the health or safety of any person (including oneself), including:

Physical assault, sexual assault, sexual misconduct or domestic violence
Threats that cause a person reasonably to be in sustained fear for his or her own safety or the safety of his or her immediate family
Intoxication or impairment due to the use of alcohol or controlled substances
Obstruction or disruption of teaching, research, administration, disciplinary procedures or other University activities
Use, display, storage or manufacture of a weapon or destructive device
Sexual harassment
Racial, ethnic, religious, sexual orientation, disability and other forms of harassment
Stalking, hazing and disorderly behavior

Kean University Behavioral Intervention Team

Students displaying concerning behavior can be reported to the Kean University Behavioral Intervention Team (KUBIT) by completing the incident report form on the KUBIT website: www.kean.edu/offices/kubit. Questions about KUBIT can be referred to the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs at (908) 737-7080.

Q & A on Classroom Safety

Q. What if a disruptive student claims the disruptive behavior is the result of a disability?

A. The fact that a student may have a disability should not inhibit you from notifying appropriate authorities (including the campus police, as needed) about disruptive behavior. Students with or without disabilities need to know they must adhere to reasonable behavioral standards. Setting and enforcing such standards may encourage students with disabilities to obtain an array of services from professionals to meet these behavioral standards.

Student disability claims and accommodation requests should be discussed with the Office of Disability Services (x74910). There is an established procedure students should follow if they have a disability and need to seek a reasonable accommodation.

Generally, while different rules apply in the elementary and secondary school setting, pertinent federal agencies and the courts have made it clear that an institution of higher education does not have to tolerate or excuse violent, dangerous or disruptive behavior, especially when that behavior interferes with the educational opportunities of other students. Colleges and universities may discipline a student with a disability for engaging in misconduct if it would impose the same discipline on a student without a disability.

Q. When should I call the police?

A. You should call the campus police or 911 whenever you believe there is any threat of violence or other unlawful behavior, including a student’s refusal to leave a class after being told to do so. Any threat of violence should be taken seriously. Err on the side of caution and notify the police as soon as you can. You should also call the campus police or 911 if you believe a student is a threat to him- or herself and it is after regular business hours.

Q. Should I act immediately or wait for a pattern of misbehavior to occur?

A. It is often a mistake to assume disruptive behavior will stop on its own. A fundamental tenet of progressive discipline is to document and respond to “small” incidents sooner rather than later. Generally, teachers who state reasonable expectations early, and enforce them consistently, help students avoid harsher consequences as a result of more serious infractions later. Early intervention, sometimes in the form of a “behavioral contract” developed by the Director of the Office of Student Conduct or designee and a referring instructor, might help define needed boundaries for a student.

Guide adapted from Faculty/Staff Emergency Guide: Helping Students in Difficulty, Rutgers Health Services, Rutgers University.

1 Adapted from the Jed Foundation, Student Mental Health and the Law: A Resource for Institutions of Higher Education. New York, NY: The Jed Foundation, 2008.

2 American College Health Association – National College Health Assessment, 2006.

Helping Students in Difficulty

Aggression

If you see or are dealing with aggressive behavior or other unusual situations:

Kean Police

A Kean Police Officer will respond, assess, and assist.

Phone:

911 (emergency)

(908) 737-4800 (other than emergency)

Location:

Downs Hall, Police Station

www.kean.edu/police

Illness/Injury

If you see or are dealing with a person who is injured, ill or whose behavior seems erratic:

Kean Health Services

They will assess, treat or refer as needed.

Phone:

(908) 737-4880

Location:

Downs Hall, Room 126

If the condition seems serious or occurs after business hours, contact the Kean Police at 911 or x74800.

www.kean.edu/offices/health-services

Psychological Crises, Expression of Suicidal Thoughts and Homicidal Thoughts

If you believe a student may be a danger to him- or herself or others: contact the Kean Counseling Center or Kean Police immediately.

Kean Counseling Center

Phone:

(908) 737-4850

Location:

Downs Hall, Room 127

Kean Police

Phone:

911 (emergency)

(908) 737-4800 (other than emergency)

Location:

Downs Hall, Police Station

Emotional Behavior

If you see or are dealing with a student who “needs to talk to someone” about a personal concern or is experiencing a psychological or emotional crisis:

Kean Counseling Center

Phone:

(908) 737-4850

Location:

Downs Hall, Room 127

www.kean.edu/offices/office-counseling-and-disability-services