>>VARWIG: Hi. I'm Jana Varwig, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs here at Towson University, and I'm here to talk with you about helping students in distress, those students who you may encounter in your classrooms. Faculty encounter a wide array of student concerns in the classroom, and some of them indicate problems that are beyond a typical academic concern. Many of you may have experienced at least one of the following scenarios: Scary references in papers, classroom discipline, excessively withdrawn students. These may be signs that a student is experiencing extraordinary difficulties and your assistance may be needed to bring help to that student. Faculty members are in a unique position to see concerning student behavior in the classroom and can assist students in problem solving and seeking appropriate resources on campus. Moreover, students are more likely to come to you first when they are worried about their success in classes or about other issues that are impeding their ability to be successful or you might be concerned about a student and want to reach out to them because you think you may be of some help.

We do not expect faculty to be personal counselors to students. In fact, if you feel as though you are acting in that capacity with a student, that's a sign that you need to refer that student to further assistance. However, you can help a student who comes to you or who you observed to be clearly distressed. By listening without judgment and exploring alternatives, you may be able to help your student find solutions. You also may be able to help them open the door to further help from the several professional services that are available to them on campus. So what does distress look like? Here are a few of typical signs of distress that you might see in a classroom: Poor performance, poor preparation or attendance, distractibility, inappropriate requests. All of these are examples of students who might be in distress. As the instructor, it is important to address the difficulties you see from an academic and a personal perspective. Now, while it's easy to conclude that an academically underachieving student is simply unmotivated or even possibly lazy, often the real situation is more complicated. Students may be preoccupied with situational or family problems. They may actually be disabled by mental illness. They may have learning disabilities or attention deficit disorder or are compromised by alcohol or other drug problems. Previous failures, for any reason, can engender a hopeless outlook and defensive attitude of, "I don't care." Many of you have may have seen this kind of student.

You can provide valuable help to your students just by listening and exploring possible solutions. Often, however, students will need something more than you can or should provide, such as in-depth career advising, help with a disability, a solution to a roommate problem, or professional counseling help for mental health or substance abuse. You can assist your student in connecting with such valuable resources as the Counseling Center, Disability Support Services, the Career Center, Housing and Residence Life. The list goes on. Even the office of the Vice President for Student Affairs could be helpful to you for problems both large and small. And staff from these departments can consult directly with you to help you determine what steps to take with your problem students. And I would say, if you get any one of these offices, if you have a specific problem that they cannot help you with, they will get you to the right place.
You may also encounter students who demonstrate interpersonal or discipline problems in your class. That is, they demonstrate inappropriate behavior towards you or others in your class, and you can see some of the examples of these: always asking for help with personal problems, being actively disruptive, especially if you hear complaints from other students in the class. With students who are actively disruptive, you'll need to draw clear limits for them around their behavior in class, while being aware that the inappropriate behavior that you're seeing may also be a signal of personal problems that need attention. If you need assistance with setting limits, you can get help from the Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices, the Counseling Center, or the Disability Support Services folks. All can be helpful in consulting with faculty around difficult students. You may observe other indicators of personal trouble: problem with hygiene, emotional, or intellectual changes.

Even with these problems, you may often be the first person to actually notice and to help your students get the help they need. Again, staff members at the offices we just discussed are able and ready to advise you on ways to make a referral, and in critical situations, may enlist your help in walking a student to the Counseling Center. If a student appears particularly down and hopeless, you do need to inquire very directly about whether the student might be suicidal. It is critical for you to know that you will not increase suicide risk by inquiring about suicidal thoughts. If the student says yes, then you'll know to assist them right away to safety and treatment. If the student says no, but nevertheless appears to have a great deal of distress or agitation, there could still be suicidal risk and you might still need to take immediate action. Assessing someone's suicidal risk is complex and requires professional help. When you are unsure of the immediate dangerousness of a student in distress, the important thing is to consult without delay, even while the student is with you, if possible.
The Counseling Center works in collaboration with the police in situations where mental health issues and immediate risk are involved. Counseling Center clinicians can help you to assess the degree and immediacy of risk and the most appropriate response to the individual's solution or situation. Never agree to keep your knowledge of a student's safety risks confidential. You will not be hurting a student who's in real distress by calling the Counseling Center and/or the police for an emergency consultation. Even if the student is unwilling to have you consult, you may well be saving that student's life. Violence to others - I think it's really important to say that very few students are likely to be seriously dangerous to others. However, we all know that violence towards others on campus is a reality. The safety and well-being of the campus community is the top priority when a student exhibits threatening or potentially violent behavior. Whether the threat of violence is overt or implied, verbal or written, or whether the threat is through stalking or harassment, or if you discover someone in possession of weapons, you will need to report the danger immediately to the Towson University Police, available 24 hours a day. If you are aware that threatening behavior is in progress on campus, call 44444 to reach the TU Police. If someone already has been injured and is in need of urgent medical attention, call 911 and the operator will also notify the TU Police, who will also respond.

Afterwards, contact your department chair for advice and support. It's also important to inform the Office of Student Accountability and Restorative Practices and file a complaint. And finally, consult with the Counseling Center to debrief and assist you and the students in your class. The Student Affairs division of Towson University has produced a booklet called, "Helping Students in Distress," that explains further how you can do the four important steps of assisting your students in difficulty. One: Observe indications of difficulty or risk. Two: Provide a listening ear and inquire compassionately. Three: Consult with campus services. And four: Assist the student to connect with needed help. As faculty members, you are all on the frontlines to notice and respond to student difficulties, small and large, and to assist students in their strivings for personal, as well as academic, success. I wish a good year at Towson University, and I look forward to working with you. Thank you.