Personal Support Services

Community Living

Students experiencing roommate difficulties or other problems with their living arrangements should contact the Office of Community Living (ext. 4023).

Counseling Center

Counseling Center services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (ext. 4340). The following text is taken from the Counseling Center website

Faculty members are encouraged to consider making a referral if they notice:

• They’re doing more “personal counseling” than “academic advising” with a student.
• A student seems to be “perpetually” tired, anxious, depressed, irritable, angry, or sad.
• Marked changes in a student’s appearance or habits (for example, deterioration in grooming, hygiene, dramatic weight change, marked withdrawal in a normally outgoing person, accelerated activity or speech in a normally reserved person, or marked change in academic performance).
• Indications of hopelessness or helplessness.
• A student’s use of alcohol or other substances interferes with his/her relationships or work.
• A student’s thoughts or actions appear unusual to others.

If you notice any of these warning signs, please inform the student in a straightforward, matter-of-fact manner of your concern. Be specific regarding the behavior patterns you have observed. Suggest that he/she consider personal counseling and refer the student to the Counseling Center.

If the student agrees to the referral, you may:

• Facilitate the referral by having the student call us from your office to arrange an appointment.
• Agree that the student will contact the Counseling Center on his or her own
• In urgent or crisis situations, walk the student over for immediate contact with our staff.

Except in emergencies, the option should be left open for the student to accept or refuse a referral for counseling. If you are unsure about whether to refer, call the Counseling Center. The staff is always willing to discuss your concerns about a student and possible courses of action. As required by both laws and ethics of professional practice, all communication between a therapist and client is confidential. Once a student is a client at the Counseling Center, we cannot discuss the particulars of his/her situation, or even acknowledge the fact that counseling is being provided without the consent of the client.

Dean of Students Office

Any student having significant personal problems (e.g. family conflict, financial difficulties, harassment, or other personal crises) should be referred to the Dean of Students Office (ext. 4020).

Health Center

Students suffering from physical ailments should be referred to the Health Center (ext. 4111). The Health Center will not give out retroactive “medical excuses” to students who miss class due to illness except in extraordinary circumstances. Students are expected to contact course instructors as soon as the illness begins to interfere with academic responsibilities and to work out in advance how to deal with assignments and attendance issues. If the Health Center staff recommends a student suspend or curtail academic activity due to illness, they will contact the Dean of Students Office, who will in turn notify the student’s instructors.