Resources! Resources! Resources!

Where, How and to Whom Do You Refer A Student?

Today college students are faced with ever-growing challenges that not only affect their ability to be successful in school, but in fact, may become so out of hand, the student may decide to drop out of school, withdraw from other students, or even go so far as harming themselves.   So how can faculty and staff provide appropriate referrals for students who need help?

Once you know what the problem is you need to know the general areas of support the student may need; then you need to know what is available for the student to access and or whom to refer them for help.   Some general referral areas on campus might include:

Tutoring Sources:

• Writing Center

  The Writing Resource Center provides free peer tutoring for students seeking help with their writing problems.   Tutors can assist in final editing and proofreading along with main areas of help.   Students with all levels may benefit from their help.   The hours for the Writing Center is Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.You may also seek help by e-mailing questions or drafts of papers to their website:

  http://cal.bemidjistate.edu/WRC

• Academic Resource Center (ARC)

  The Academic Resource Center is located in lower Maple Hall.   They have one peer academic assistant from 7:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. and two peer academic assistants from 9:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m.   The ARC focuses on freshman level courses for the most part.   On Sunday evening from 9:00 until 11:00 p.m. there are tutors working who can help with the upper level math courses as well.

  Their hours are Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 7:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m.   and Tuesday's from 7:00 until 9:00 p.m.

• Math Tutoring Room

  The Math Tutor Room is available for students that have difficulties with mathematics.   It offers qualified tutors weekdays (except finals week) at   232   Hagg Sauer Hall.   Hours are Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday's 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

• Oral Communication Lab   Bangsberg 225      755-2150

  The Oral Communication Lab has drop-in hours for students needing assistance with planning, preparing or practicing speeches and other presentations.   Their hours are Monday through Thursday 10:00 to 3:00 and Friday 8:00 to 11:00 a.m.    The staff will offer guidance in planning, outlining, practicing and videotaping speeches. If help is needed other than the advertised hours please contact Carol Richards at 755-4126.

In addition to the above resources some departments on campus have tutoring through their department.

Accounting:   There is upper level accounting students available to tutor in Decker Hall #14.   The schedule of when they are available is M W   F   from 10-11 a.m. and 12-1:00 p.m. and Tues and Thurs. from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Economics:   There is tutoring available for Market Resource Allocation and Macro-economics.   Tutors are located in Decker 18 in the economics library and are available from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday and from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday.   This is a drop in center and no one needs to make an appointment.

Hydrogeology:   A UTAP student is providing tutorial help on Thursday mornings from 9:15 to 10:00 and Friday morning from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.   For more information see Tim Kroeger .

Social Statistics:   An undergraduate teaching assistant is providing six hours of tutoring for social statistics in HS 359 during the following times:

Monday 2:30-4:30
Tuesday 10:00-11:50
Wednesday 11:00-12:50

Counseling Center    Birch Hall, A Wing      8:00 a.m. to 4:30 P.M.   M- F   755 -2024

The Counseling Center offers individual and group counseling services.   The first visit to the Counseling Center is a time for you to explore personal concerns and help identify appropriate counseling services, whether in our Center or within the community. Issues addressed in Counseling may include:

• Adjusting to College Life being away from home, learning to manage new responsibilities, difficulty meeting class requirements because of life events or emotional issues
• Dealing with Crisis and Trauma death or major illness of a family member or close friend, loss of a relationship, assault, abuse (sexual, emotional or physical), personal illness
• Coping with Emotional or Mental Health Issues feelings of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, grief, anger, homesickness, loneliness, suicidal thoughts or feelings
• Overcoming Chemical Dependency or Eating Disorders over use or abuse of drugs, alcohol, gambling, or internet; food related concerns; body image issues
• Sorting out relationship, Communication or Social Difficulties dating and intimate relationships, family conflicts, roommate issues, peer pressure, sexual and gender concerns, social or group anxiety
• Managing Life Issues financial pressures, stress, decision making, defining your values, goal setting, making healthy choices

Other services offered by the Counseling Center are stress management, depression screening, self-assessment tests (personality and interpersonal styles), SAD (Seasonal Affect Disorder) light therapy, assessment and referrals.   In addition, the Counseling Center maintains a library of books and videos that are available to students receiving services.

Students in Distress:   A Guide for Faculty & Staff
Signs a student may be in distress include:
Change in academic performance or behavior: abrupt decline in quality of work or class preparation, poor attendance, repeated requests for assignment extensions, change in level of class participation, excessively anxious when called upon, disruptive behavior
Changes in appearance or behavior:   depressed or lethargic mood, hyperactivity or very rapid speech, swollen or red eyes, tearfulness, change in personal hygiene or dress, dramatic weight loss or gain, strange or bizarre behavior indicating loss of contact with reality, exaggerated emotional response that is obviously inappropriate to the situation, difficulty with attention or memory, disjoined thoughts, impaired speech
References to Suicide, Homicide, or Death:   feelings of helplessness or hopelessness, overt references to suicide, isolation from friends or family, homicidal threats

What Can You Do?

If you choose to approach a student you are concerned about or if a student reaches out to you for help, here are some suggestions which might make the opportunity more comfortable for you and more helpful for the student:

• Talk to the student in private when both of you have the time and are not rushed or preoccupied.   Give your undivided attention.
• Listen carefully.   Communicate understanding by repeating back the essence of what the student has told you.   Let the student talk.
• Express your concern in behavioral, non-judgmental terms.   For example, “I've noticed you've been absent from class lately and I'm concerned.”
• Give hope Assure the student that things can get better.   Help the student identify options and resources.
• Maintain clear and consistent boundaries and expectations.   It is important to maintain the professional nature of the faculty/student or staff/student relationship.
• Refer.   Offer the student a Counseling Center brochure.   Explain the Counseling Center is free and confidential and encourage the student to make an appointment.   Offer to let the student call from your office or walk over with the student if you believe they need extra support.
• Consult.   When in doubt about the appropriateness of an intervention call the Counseling Center .

 Career Services   102 Sanford Hall   755-2038

• Students Needing Help Choosing a Major or wondering what careers are possible with their major.   Individual career counseling appointments are available.
• Help Researching the Job Market and looking at what is available for career opportunities and where those opportunities exist.
• Resume Skills workshops as well as individual appointments including critiquing resumes—there is also an online resume referral system— BSUCareers which is accessed through the Career Services website.   Students must have their resume critiqued by Career Services staff prior to uploading their resumes.
• Interviewing Skills Workshops, as well as   mock interviews and virtual interviews through interviewStream which, again, is accessed through the Career Services website.
• Exploring Graduate Schools
• Job Fairs and Employer On-Campus Recruiting there are job fairs for all majors in government, non-profit and business/industry.   Career Connections (an on-campus career fair) will be held March 28, 2007 for students to network with employers.
• Internship workshops   are presented with resources for students for students to find an internship in their field.
• Job and internship openings are posted on the Career Services website.

The Career Services website provides information on all these services and more at: www.bemidjistate.edu/career

In addition students may be referred to health services if they have a medical problem as well.

Reasons Students May Struggle in College:

1. The obvious reason students may not do well in a particular course is that it may be a subject area that the student has little or no background education or training in prior to this course.   Coping strategies might include a referral for tutoring, the student talking with their professor about coping strategies or even the viability of taking a lower-level course to begin with.
2. Students may not have a chosen major, have no goals or focus, and may not understand how their courses work toward a specific end for them.   Not being able to understand how things fit together may be frustrating and leave the student feeling discouraged.   Coping strategies might include a referral to the Career Services Office to encourage students to think about a career and the education they need to pursue that career.
3. The student may not be in college by their choice or enrolled in courses of their choice.   Sometimes students are required to take courses and/ or majors of the parent's choosing.   Because the parent pays the bill, they feel entitled to determine the courses their student takes.   The student may have no interest or aptitude in the area chosen for them; as a consequence they may feel frustrated, discouraged, angry and that they have no choice but to do as their parents say.   Coping strategies might include referrals to the counseling center, to career services for the student to explore career options and the majors related to them, and to the Advising Success Center for additional help they may be able to offer.  
4. The student may not be prioritizing their academic responsibilities but instead are spending too much time socializing and have a good time.   Discussing study habits would be helpful.   Coping strategies might include referrals for time management and organizational skills might be appropriate as well as to the Academic Advising Center , both of which may prove helpful to the student.

This list is far from exhaustive but hopefully it will help generate ideas for further referrals for the student to get appropriate support.

Other referral sources to add to your list include:

Health Services       755-2053
Records Office        755-2020
Residential Life       755-3750

The student's advisor, a mentor if they have one or a good friend may be appropriate help.   Again, it is something that needs to be decided on a case-by-case basis.   If you aren't sure where to make a referral for a student call the counseling center or the Disability Services Office for additional assistance.

 New Programs at Disability Services

This past fall the Disability Services Office partnered with the applied psychology master's program to offer two support group counseling opportunities each led by students enrolled in the BSU master's program group processes course.

One support group was for the student employees working at the Disability Services Office; all employees attended a once-a-week leadership training group.   All the students seemed to grow and all demonstrated better skill levels at the end of the semester.   I would recommend this for any office with a large number of student employees.

A second group was held for students with disabilities who wanted to work on social skills and anxiety.   Although this was a much smaller group, their progress was even greater than the leadership skills group.   I watched two of the students really begin to develop some self-confidence during the time the group was meeting.   One student, in particular, has gained the self-confidence to become involved in some projects on campus.   He's become a valuable participant in the program and is working to become a leader in his own right.

We plan to continue offering support groups each fall as long as there are graduate students available to facilitate the groups.   Group focus will depend on requests from students.   We would like to see a group on social skills in the fall with a second focus yet to be determined.

A new program is coming this summer.   Through IPESL and MSUAASF: New Initiatives grants, Marsha Driscoll and Kathi have developed a week-long summer program for students with disabilities planning to transition to postsecondary education.

The program is August 5-11, 2007; twenty five tenth and eleventh graders accepted into the project this year will attend a series of workshops addressing the three areas this cohort is most deficient in.   These areas include academic skills and preparedness, independent living skills and the ability to manage their disability needs.   Workshops on time management, organization, note taking skills, test-taking tips, life skills and budgeting, helping them learn about their disability and how it affects them socially and in the classroom will be presented as well as many others.   We will continue to follow project participants through the following year, do some pre-and post-tests as well as participant driven satisfaction surveys.   The purpose of the program is to better-prepare students with disabilities to be successful in postsecondary education.

Finally, we are again starting tutoring for all students on campus .   The program has yet to find a name, but it will be replacing the former Campus Wide Tutoring Program, and will be more inclusive in what it can provide as well as a more collaborative effort between faculty, staff and other tutoring programs on campus.   There is tutoring available for students taking online courses and external courses right now.   But we will be including more help for students beginning this fall.   There will again be a drop in center for students needing help for immediate assignments but we are also planning to provide students who wish to have long-term help and want to meet with a tutor on a regular basis, one or more times per week.   It will be greatly appreciated if any faculty know students who they think would make good tutors, with workstudy or regular payroll, would make a recommendation that they come and see me after spring break.   We are in the process of finishing up the application form and will have that available to students by Monday, March 26 th .   Students should have an “A” or “B” in courses that they are interested in tutoring.   Students who are hired must be able to tutor in multiple disciplines.   For example you might be able to tutor general biology and math 0800 and 1110 (or maybe higher) and perhaps sociology or some other course.   We are looking for students who are well-rounded academically and will present as strong role models for student tutees as well as other students.

Recap of Students with Disabilities Served Last Year

Students served in the various disability categories included:

As always, many students have multiple disabilities.   Those students are coded under the disability that we accommodate the most.   For example a person might be diabetic and also have depression.   Depending on the needs of the student we would list them under systemic impairment if the diabetes and it's side effects were more of an issue to the student or under psychological if the student were needing more accommodations for the depression than for the diabetes, although both disabilities would be accommodated as the student needed.

One major change from the two previous years is that the number of students with psychological impairments were down from 105 in 2003-04 and 108 in 2004-05 to 80 this past year.   Some of that is because of the high number of graduates that we had for the past two years and the fact that some may have other more serious challenges with another disability.