CSUEB educates employees about compliance with the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). That being said, the lack of a consistent knowledge basis for applying FERPA may well block the flow of information that is necessary to form a comprehensive picture of an at-risk student. The university has adopted the definition given in the “Model Notification of Rights under FERPA for Postsecondary Institutions” suggested on the United States Department of Education web page.
All information discussed in the Student CARE Team (SCT) will be kept confidential by all standing and adjunct SCT members, and will only be shared with others in the university to carry out recommendations and interventions. Those coming to provide direct information about a student in distress may be asked to leave the meeting while the Student CARE Team discusses the situation.
The Student CARE Team will not be able to give details about any actions taken to those reporting a concern, but the will acknowledge that the report has been received and has been assigned for action. If a reporter continues to have concern about a student, they can reach out to a SCT member to consult. If they receive additional information about the case, they can pass this on to a SCT member to be added to the report.
The Student CARE Team is composed of the following standing members:
Serving standing members are nominated by their respective department and appointed by the Vice President of Student Affairs.
Each standing member of the Student CARE Team has a designated alternate in case they are not able to attend the regular meetings or other additional meetings. The designated alternate for meeting facilitator is the Director of Student Conduct, Rights and Responsibilities.
Other university employees may be asked to participate on the Student Care Team on an “as needed” basis. Examples include the Emergency Operations Coordinator or Human Resources.
A principle responsibility of the Student CARE Team (SCT) is to respond to concerns regarding student behavior. The SCT addresses a wide variety of concerns regarding student welfare including, but not limited to, concerns of disruptive, threatening, or violent behavior. However, SCT is where a student who might exhibit at-risk behavior is identified and support services and appropriate university responses are discussed.
The SCT will meet regularly to review student incidents that have occurred since the previous meeting, as well as reviewing continuing individual cases. The team works to build a holistic picture of the student, and plans the assessment, intervention or referral approach. In some cases a particular situation may require coordination with on-campus services such as accessibility, residence life, or the academic advisor or college dean’s office.
One of the most important aspects of creating a successful system for working with at-risk students is to have an accurate, timely, and accessible flow of information regarding the student. The communication system must be comprehensive, secure and responsive. The SCT helps to facilitate communication between departments and units on campus regarding students in distress. By using early coordinated communication, prevention, and intervention efforts, more serious student situations may be prevented or deescalated.
The SCT is not designed to address serious urgent situations involving imminent harm to self or others, substantive threats to self or others, or damage to property. These issues are handled directly by the University Police Department and the Threat Assessment Team (TAT).The mission of the TAT is “to evaluate potentially threatening situations within the CSUEB community and act on the threat or, when appropriate, make recommendations to the CSUEB President on the proper course of action to be taken.” Please contact the University Police Department for guidance if you are not sure whether to refer a situation to the TAT, or the Student CARE Team.
Incidents or individuals of concern can be brought to the attention of the Student CARE Team in several ways:
1. Faculty, staff, administrators, students or other appropriate persons can submit a report on line .
2. Faculty, staff, administrators, students or other appropriate persons can contact either of the Chairs with concerns by email, phone or in-person.
3. Members of the Student CARE Team can bring students of concern to the team.
The Student CARE Team facilitator, in consultation with other CARE Team members, will determine if the concern is appropriate for the Student CARE Team to review or if it should be referred elsewhere (e.g., Threat Assessment Team, specific services on campus such as Accessibility Services or Student Conduct).
