CARE Team:  Frequently Asked Questions by Students

The CARE Team serves Middle Tennessee State University students.

A Care coach is a university administrator who is part of the Campus Action Response and Engagement (CARE) Team. These individuals are volunteers at MTSU who assist students who may have hit a rough patch as they navigate life as a Blue Raider. A Care Coach will talk with you to determine if they can provide support by connecting you to available resources to get through an unexpectedly tough time.

If a Care Coach reaches out to you, it means that someone submitted a CARE Team report to the Office of Student Care and Conduct (OSCC) indicating concern for your well-being. The Care Coach’s role is to check in with you to see how you are doing.

Any behavior that raises a cause for concern can be reported to the CARE Team. Reported concerns cover a range of behaviors. Some examples of the kinds of concerns reported include but aren’t limited to, sadness due to an illness or death, seasonal depression, excessive absences from class, relationship problems, difficulty adjusting to college life, and not being motivated to go to class.

The CARE Team process is explicitly aimed 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, it is important to note that the CARE process is not confidential, meaning that if you disclose that you have violated a university rule or law, the CARE Coach may be obligated to report that behavior to the appropriate office.

No. You do not have to respond to the Care Coach, but it is considerate to respond even if you do not need or want assistance. You can simply let the Care Coach know that you don’t need any help at the moment. There are some situations where a Care Coach may take a more active role in attempting to meet with you if there is a serious safety and/or health issue.

The Care Coach expects you to respond to them. If you choose to meet with the Care Coach, they will expect you to be honest and forthcoming. They will also expect you to be an active participant in identifying resources and strategies to help you through the difficult time. The Care Coach will ask that you honor appropriate boundaries regarding future interactions and meetings. They will also expect you to ask questions that you may have about the care process, the university, and/or the specific issue you are dealing with.

A Care Coach will not contact your parent(s) or guardian(s) unless there is evidence that indicates that you pose an immediate threat to yourself or other people. If an immediate threat is present, Care Coaches are required to notify the proper authorities.

If you DO want your parent(s) or guardian(s) to know about the situation and/or you want the Care Coach to speak with your parents, you will need to fill out a FERPA form. These forms are available in the Office of Student Care and Conduct and online.

FERPA is an acronym for the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. FERPA is federal legislation that pertains to the privacy of educational records. Information contained in a care case is part of your educational record, thus it is protected by this federal law.

The Care Coach will likely want to meet with you alone; however, you can request that you be permitted to bring someone with you. If you choose to bring someone with you, you need to remember that they will be privy to any confidential information that you might share in a meeting with a Care Coach.

Yes. Oftentimes a Care Coach will give you the options of communicating solely through email or through a virtual platform.

Yes. You can! It will be helpful if you explain to the Care Coach that they reached out in the past and you didn’t respond. You can explain that now you need assistance.