The Student Support Team’s mission is to ensure the safety, wellbeing, and personal growth of all members of the Macaulay community. The Team is comprised of Macaulay staff members from different departments who convene to discuss reports, gather information, and make recommendations. We are not a disciplinary committee, but rather a group committed to a holistic, discrete, and efficient process for mitigating concerns regarding members of our community.
The team will work to protect students privacy, but cannot guarantee confidentiality.
Student Support Team Referral Form
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Anyone who has a concern about a member of the Macaulay community can file a report. Some examples of people who make reports include but are not limited to: family members, professors, students, and staff members.
Yes. You do not need to include your personal information when making a report. This option is in place so that community members who may be concerned about retaliatory action are not deterred from filing a report.
After a report is filed, the SST convenes to discuss the concern described therein. Please note that the form asks you to specify the level of urgency; this is to guarantee that urgent situations are discussed as expediently as possible. The action plan decided upon by the SST is unique to each report and depends on a variety of factors. Some options we may take include: contacting the person who filed the report to gather more information, meeting with the person who is raising concerns in the community, working with the person who filed the report on an action plan, contacting Public Safety, or making a referral to mental health services.
When in doubt, report! It is the responsibility of the SST, not individual community members, to determine the seriousness of the concern. Moreover, one function of the SST is to compare multiple reports made regarding the same student. In this way, we can detect patterns of concerning behavior that may not be seen by individual community observers. A behavior that may not seem alarming when viewed in isolation could be part of a pattern that warrants further action. In other words, we aim to view the student holistically, within the context of previous behaviors over time.
Yes. For instance, a professor may hear from a student that another student has been making threatening comments in the library. In such an incident, the professor can encourage the student who was privy to the remarks to file a report, and/or can file a report themselves. We encourage you to never assume that someone else will make the report.
- Extended absence from class, living quarters, or social/extra-curricular activities
- Noticeable changes in mood, behavior, or appearance
- Threatening remarks made in person, on social media, or via written or electronic communication
- Remarks or behavior indicating suicidal intent, e.g. giving away possessions, discussing self-harm, or a sudden lifting of depression
- Behavior that seems to be out of touch with reality
- Indications that the person is facing homelessness, domestic violence, or otherwise unstable living arrangement