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Crisis Response

 

What is a crisis? 

While in school, students may occasionally encounter extremely challenging acute situations or the culmination of personal history that dramatically impacts their cognitive and emotional strategies. A crisis is an emergency (non–medical) situation that an individual perceives as stressful such that normal coping mechanisms are insufficient and an immediate response is necessary to reduce social and emotional distress. 
All community members but particularly faculty and staff should be familiar with the Student Conduct Code which specifies classroom or campus behaviors subject to intervention or discipline. Referrals to the Counseling Center, reaching out to the CARE Team, and filing a conduct report are different ways of supporting students and maintaining a beneficial and safe classroom environment. In our educational environment it is helpful to consider principles of restorative justice in classroom management and to consider that "behavioral issues" may be best addressed through additional support and community reconciliation of the situation. You can find a copy of the Student Conduct Code in the Student Handbook or your division. The lead administrator or counselor in your division as well as members of the CARE Team can provide additional guidance. 

When to call

Immediate triggers and personal-historical precedents for a crisis are individual but some common ones include: 

  • Acute and chronic traumas both physical and psychological 
  • Grief 
  • Physical or sexual abuse 
  • Sexual assault and rape 
  • Harassment 
  • Experiences of racism 
  • Developing mental illness 
  • Exacerbated prior mental illness 
  • Substance use and addiction. 

Call when: 

  • A student is suicidal or seriously depressed. 
  •  A student is distraught/disoriented and appears to need immediate attention and cannot wait for a regular counseling appointment. 
  • A death, trauma, or accident occurs related to your class or department. 
  • A student appears under the influence of drugs or alcohol and is not combative or disruptive. 
  • A staff/faculty member is unable to diffuse the situation. 

When to contact the Counseling Center 

When confronted with a student crisis situation that does not require a more immediate security response, contact the Counseling Center at 206.934.5407. 
In the rare event that someone is not immediately available or if the office is closed, call the Public Safety Office at 206.934.5442.

When to call the Public Safety Office 

Call Public Safety Office (ext. 5442) when: 

  • A student appears under the influence of drugs or alcohol and is combative or disruptive. 
  • A student is aggressive or uncontrollable. 
  • A student is threatening, abusive, or endangers the health or safety of any person on campus. 
  •  A student is threatening imminent self-harm or suicide. 

When to call 911 

Call 911 when the situation: 

  • Is a life threatening emergency. 
  • Involves weapons. 
  • Is a serious medical incident. 
  • Always phone Campus Public Security to tell them that you phoned 911. 

Incident Report 

Faculty and staff experiencing classroom or office disruption resulting from misconduct, or witnessing misconduct on school premises, please see your Dean or Division Counselor and use the Student Conduct Incident Report (doc). Consider whether this would be better reported to the C.A.R.E. Team.