Reporting and Making Referrals

In addition to referring students to CAPS directly, MSU offers additional resources for helping a student you have concerns about. Please consider best practices in making referrals:

• Show empathy toward the student’s situation and let them know that you and MSU care about them.
• Ask the student if they would like you to make a referral or a connection to a campus support system.
• Email the unit contact and copy the student. If possible, consider walking the student to the service.
• Consider notifying the student’s academic advisor or other support systems in which the student is engaged (i.e., RCPD student = let RCPD know; international student = let OISS know, etc.); your unit advisor and/or Dean’s office staff can help you.
   

The Office of Student Support and Accountability created a referral guide to assist faculty and staff in recognizing and referring individuals who may need support. Individuals may feel alone, isolated, and hopeless when faced with academic and life changes. These feelings can easily disrupt academic and work performance or overall functions, which may lead to serious consequences, including dysfunctional coping.

Included in the Green Folder is a flow chart indicating who to contact, a list of resources, a definition of your role in this process, and a chart of possible indicators that a student is in distress or is a threat to themselves or others.