Instructors should report any concerning behavior, significant decline in academic performance, or any other issues to iSchool Academic Programs by submitting a ticket via the Academic Programs portal at http://tinyurl.com/iSchoolAcademicProgramsPortal . The Academic Programs team can assist instructors in navigating campus resources for students in distress such as the following:
The University’s Behavior Evaluation & Threat Assessment Team (BETA) is prepared to assist or intervene in cases in which an employee fears that a student may harm themselves or others. Read more about them at the link.
The University’s Counseling Center staff psychologists, academic skills counselors, and disability support specialists are prepared to assist instructors in responding to students in distress. Read more about them at the link.
The University’s Office of Civil Rights and Sexual Misconduct has a protocol for handling hate/bias incidents, described at https://diversity.umd.edu/training-education/bias/team/. Employees may report a hate/bias incident, as a participant or as a witness, as well as civil rights violations, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and other forms of gender-based violence. Employees can also report concerns or ask questions of the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, who is also the College Title IX Liaison. These notifications can be made by submitting a ticket via the Academic Programs portal at http://tinyurl.com/iSchoolAcademicProgramsPortal.
Please note that federal law requires that all University employees learning of a sexual assault must notify the Title IX liaison or OCRSM directly, with or without the victim’s consent. A good employee practice is to warn students seeking counsel that they cannot legally serve as a confidential resource. Good practice may also involve connecting the victim to the Campus Advocates Respond and Educate to Stop Violence (CARE) program, at https://health.umd.edu/CARE , who legally can serve as a confidential resource and informant.
Instructors perceiving a student’s behavior to be aggressive or threatening should call 911 immediately.