Husky Assistance and Care Team (ACT) provides individualized student support, assistance, and advocacy through brief case management and a coordinated response to help them navigate the complexities of the university experience in order to achieve their academic and personal goals. Incidents and referrals may be elevated based upon whether or not they represent a threat to the safety and well-being of the student or others.
Husky ACT is a multi-disciplinary team led by the Dean of Students at St. Cloud State University. The core team meets weekly to review and discuss student cases triaged by staff in the Dean of Students Office to identify and implement appropriate actions to provide the support and assistance needed to help the student be successful and achieve their personal and academic goals. Staff in the Dean of Students Office are responsible for triaging incoming referrals, gathering information, consulting with reporting parties, and engaging campus partners with a goal of determining actions and interventions to support student well-being.
The team will also collaborate with the Crisis Care Team (Critical Incident Stress Management) and Bias Incident Response Team to respond to critical incidents on that affect students, staff, and the greater campus community.
This team does not address concerns of harm to others. If those concerns arise, the case will be referred for threat assessment escalation.
Team Membership
The Dean of Students Office is the central repository for concerns related to student health, safety, well-being, and behaviors of concern. The Dean of Students Office is responsible for reviewing and triaging incoming referrals, gathering information, consulting with reporting parties, and engaging campus and community partners with a goal of determining interventions to support student well-being. The Dean of Students Office is supported in this work by the members of Husky ACT who represent staff from several departments across the University with administrative, psychological, academic and legal expertise. The team operates within FERPA/HIPAA requirements.
Weekly meetings with Core Members are convened to review new and ongoing student cases. Monthly Husky ACT meetings include the core team and Husky ACT Liaisons to review trends in student behaviors to help inform campus educational and professional development opportunities for students, faculty, and staff.
Core Members
The following are rare instances when a student’s behavior poses a threat of:
In these cases, prompt action should be taken. Depending on your circumstances and level of concern you might:
There are many reasons why students may be struggling or in distress. This includes relationship difficulties, financial problems, academic, personal or family issues, academic challenges, stress, depression or health concerns. Students provide a number of clues that they are having difficulty. These clues can consist of:
We should not assume that students will stop concerning behavior on their own because they may not be aware that it is troubling or know where to seek help or assistance. It is important to respond to incidents or behaviors of concern as they occur. Talking to students can help identify issues sooner and help them cope more effectively. In many cases, your initial expression of concern may be all that is needed to help.
Talking with the student is the first step
Guidelines for Responding to Students of Concern
Tips for Faculty and Staff - How to Support Students in Distress
In the event of an emergency, dial 911.
The primary referral source for students of concern. Consultation may result in a referral to the Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT). BIT identifies disruptive, problematic or concerning behavior and determines the best mechanisms for support, intervention, warning/ notification and response. The team identifies the next steps, deploys the resources needed and coordinates follow-up. Email reports are welcome and should be sent to sld@stcloudstate.edu.
Counselors are available for consultation and, if warranted, crisis appointments. A clinical case manager can assist struggling students who may need referrals within campus or in the community.
Maintains a 24/7 operation working to provide the safest environment possible by addressing safety, security or medical requests for assistance. They can assist with concerns about students after hours.
Provides a student-centered living and learning environment. Staff are trained to respond to various situations and can be an excellent resource when dealing with residential students.
An accredited medical clinic staffed by licensed medical doctors and nurse practitioners that provides a full range of medical care for currently enrolled students.
The Center for Health and Wellness Innovation serves the whole student – from academic success to mental and physical well-being. Housed in the newly renovated Eastman Hall, the Center includes student services alongside academic spaces to increase accessibility and reduce barriers to student health and well-being. Click on the link above to review the variety of resources available to assist students, faculty and staff in Eastman.
For faculty and staff, the Family and Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) guidelines allow information about students to be shared when you are concerned about a student’s health or safety. While counselors and medical personnel have more restrictive limits about when they can share information, they are always able to accept information from you.
Referral Form for Student Support
As members of the Husky Community we support our students as whole people and sometimes that means helping them get connected to receive some additional help. Faculty and staff are encouraged to use this form to refer students to the Husky ACT team for help connecting to resources. You can use this form to refer students of concern for a variety of reasons, including (and not limited to):