CARE Team:  Frequently Asked Questions by Faculty

The CARE Team serves Middle Tennessee State University students.

Anyone (students, staff, faculty, parents, and community members) can submit a CARE report regarding a student’s behavior, health, safety, and overall well-being.

Any behavior that raises a cause for concern should be reported to the CARE Team. If it’s an on-campus emergency, MTSU police (615-898-2424) should be notified first, and then a CARE report should be submitted. If the emergency is off campus, please call 911 immediately and then submit a CARE report.

Students often do not know who to reach out to when they are struggling with serious life issues. Sometimes, students do not even realize that a serious life issue is affecting their ability to be successful at MTSU. As a university community, we share the responsibility of assisting others when serious issues arise. Early intervention can often change the outcome(s) for students of concern. The earlier these concerns are brought to the Team’s attention, the more effectively the CARE Team can assist the student(s) involved.

If you are comfortable doing so, tell the student(s) that you are concerned and inquire about their well-being. They are often appreciative of the concern and in many cases, they will accept your assistance or seek help. 

If they are unwilling to seek help on their own, you can still let them know that you are going to refer them to staff members that can assist, and they should expect someone to contact them soon.

You are not required to tell the student that you are submitting a CARE report.

Upon receipt of a CARE Report, the CARE lead will assess the report and may reach out to the person who submitted the report to gather important information about the situation.   After assessing all available information, a CARE coach will be assigned to reach out to the student to offer support and to coordinate any necessary resources, outreach, referrals, and follow-up measures.

The CARE coach will help to develop a care plan with the student and continue to meet until it is deemed no longer necessary.

If necessary, you may be contacted to provide additional information about the concerning behavior.  Also, depending on your relationship with the student, you may be updated with information as it pertains to the student’s situation. However, you will not be informed of details of conversations with the student. Once a CARE case is established, the student’s case will be protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), meaning that detailed information about the concern cannot be released without the consent of the student or when specific exceptions to the legislation are present.

FERPA pertains to the privacy of educational records, but it does not prohibit the reporting of observable behavior. If you are concerned about a personal interaction you have had with a student or an observation you have made pertaining to behavior, you are encouraged to file a report as this is NOT a violation of FERPA. As noted above, once a CARE case is established, the student’s case will be protected by FERPA, meaning that detailed information about the concern cannot be released without the consent of the student or when specific exceptions to the legislation are present.

You do not have to make this determination; the CARE Team will do it for you. The most critical step is that you report the incident or behavior. If another campus resource is more appropriate, the CARE Team will refer the student and handle the transfer of information.

We can never promise confidentiality when life safety is an issue, but we will make every effort to treat each case with discretion.

The following examples are categorized by type. Please note, this is not an exhaustive list:

• Academic: student has excessive absences, missed multiple assignments, and is not responsive to instructor outreach, etc.
  
• Campus/Social: student has expressed severe homesickness, reported serious roommate issues, lack in connection, etc.
  
• Medical: student reported a medical condition of concern, has left campus for surgery, has on-going treatment, etc.
  
• Mental health: student has become withdrawn, is exhibiting out of the ordinary behavior, reports experiencing acute anxiety, submits an assignment with troubling content, develops attendance issues, etc.
  
• Personal: student has lost a close friend or family member, reports relationship issues that are affecting normal behavior, parent/family has become homeless, or other personal matters leading to distress for the student.

The CARE Team process is aimed specifically at providing support to students and addressing situations that have the potential to impede student success and/or threaten the safety and security of the campus. The CARE Team does not address disciplinary issues or give out sanctions. However, based on the information provided to the CARE Team, a submitted report could be referred to student conduct for review.

Please reach out to the Office of Student Care and Conduct.

Upon pressing “Submit” you will receive a verification message. If you do not receive this verification message, want to ensure your report was received, or have general questions regarding the submitted report; please contact the Office of Student Care and Conduct at (615) 898-2750.