Illinois Tech offers a cross-departmental approach to supporting students exhibiting concerning behavior or those who may need individualized resources. Faculty and staff can report concerning behavior or concern for a student through our online incident report. Incident reports are sent to the Office of the Vice Provost of Student Affairs and forwarded if appropriate.
In many cases, incidents are reviewed by either the Student Support Team (SST) or Community Support Team (CST).
Student Support Team (SST)
The Student Support Team (SST) is focused on supporting and connecting resources to students who might be exhibiting concerning behavior, poor academic grades, poor course attendance, and a variety of issues that might impact their education.
The SST is made up of staff representatives from the Office of the Vice Provost of Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, Student Health and Wellness Center, the Office of Residence Life, the Department of Public Safety, and others as appropriate. This team meets every other week during the academic year. They discuss reported incidents of concerning behavior or students who may need some type of intervention. They also create a plan for follow up and referral as appropriate.
Point of Contact
Katherine Stetz, Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students
Email: kstetz@iit.edu
More information can be found on the Student Support Team webpage.
Community Support Team (CST)
The purpose of the Community Support Team (CST) at Illinois Tech is to assist members of the university community when they are concerned about or troubled by the behavior of a student, faculty member, or staff member. Concerns should be sent directly to any member of the CST for review.
The Community Support Team meets on a monthly basis or as needed based on reports filed. The CST will help direct the issue and a possible solution to the appropriate person, office, or resource for appropriate follow-up/action.
Point of Contact
Gary Walley, Associate Vice Provost for Student Health and Wellness
Email: gwalley@iit.edu
More information and contact information for the CST members can be found on the Community Support webpage.
Reporting a Concern
Anyone can submit an incident report with a concern for someone’s well-being—emergencies should be reported immediately to the Department of Public Safety at 312.808.6363—if a violation of the Code of Conduct may have occurred, or any other concern related to Illinois Tech.
All students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to understand the mental health resources available at Illinois Tech. Please review and feel free to share this list of general resources specifically for Illinois Tech students.
General Information for Faculty/Staff
Responding to Emotionally Distressed Students
You may work with a student who is exhibiting signs of distress, exhibiting troubling behavior, or may have experienced a disturbance in their education. Please consider submitting an incident report if you have concerns for a student. Emergencies should be directed to the Department of Public Safety immediately. You can also email dos@iit.edu or call the Office of the Vice Provost of Student Affairs (312.567.3081) if you’re not sure of the appropriate action.
FAQs on Dealing With a Person in Distress
Q. How do I refer a student to counseling?
A: If a student has requested information about counseling services or if you believe that a student might benefit from seeing a counselor, you can share the Care Hub 24-hour hotline (1.877.351.7889) or have them contact the Student Health and Wellness Center at student.health@iit.edu.
One way to approach the topic of benefits of counseling is to promote a counselor’s ability to listen and assist the student to create an action plan for the issue that is presented. Please use discretion while speaking with the student, and please do not guarantee 100 percent confidentiality. Illinois Tech will always keep the best interest of the student when considering confidentiality. Faculty and staff who receive a report of sexual misconduct/harassment/assault are required to report to the head of their department or to the Office of the Vice Provost of Student Affairs at dos@iit.edu or via an online incident report.
Q: How do I know if a student has visited the Student Health and Wellness Center?
A: Unfortunately, you may not know if a student has visited the Student Health and Wellness unless the student tells you. However, it is not recommended that you inquire. It is up to the student to decide if/when to disclose that type of information.
FERPA and HIPAA prohibit the Student Health and Wellness Center or other university personnel from disclosing if a student has visited the center.
Q: If I have walked a student to the Student Health and Wellness Center, what should I do next?
A: For many, seeking help can be vulnerable and hard to discuss. When walking a student to a triage appointment to the Student Health and Wellness Center, we ask faculty members to leave and empower the student to follow up with them if they need anything.
Q. Who should I contact if I think there is a student in distress?
A: If you know of a student who is exhibiting distressing behavior, but it does not require immediate action, submit an incident report via the online form. Once an incident report is submitted, the Office of the Vice Provost of Student Affairs team will provide follow up with the student.
If you are unsure if the situation requires immediate attention, please feel free to call the Office of the Vice Provost of Student Affairs at 312.567.3081 or email at dos@iit.edu for assistance or consultation.
Q: What is an incident report?
A: An incident report is official documentation about a situation or concern. It allows the university to have appropriate records of the communication and follow-up that happens after the incident has occurred and has been reported.
Q: Can I expect to be contacted about an incident report that I file?
A: FERPA only allows those with an educational need to know to have details of an incident or the follow-up. However, if more information is needed to assist with investigating an incident or concern, then a staff member from the Office of the Vice Provost of Student Affairs will follow up as long as the reporter submits their contact information.
For further information regarding FERPA, visit the FERPA webpage.
Q. Can I submit an anonymous report of misconduct or a student concern?
Yes. Anyone can submit a report and elect not to include personal contact information. A couple of things to consider before submitting an anonymous report:
- If the details provided in the report are unclear or not detailed enough for follow-up, the response to the report is limited as we cannot contact anyone for more information.
- If the details provided in the report are too specific, it may be difficult to keep the reporter’s identity confidential.
For assistance or consultation on submitting an incident report, please email dos@iit.edu or call 312.907.8201.