Care Team

The Care Team is a campus-wide team that provides consultation, makes recommendations for action, and coordinates campus resources in response to reports of disruptive or concerning behavior displayed by students, staff, or faculty.

The Care Team was designed to be a campus resource to assist in identifying and addressing troubling behavior before it escalates to something more serious. Experience shows that tragedies affecting college campuses (for example the Virginia Tech tragedy) are often preceded by warning signs or concerning patterns of behavior. Early communication and intervention may help to prevent an escalation of behaviors to critical levels.

We encourage you to report any behavior that is troubling or makes you concerned. If a member of the IU Indy community (student, staff, or faculty) behaves in a way that causes you concern for their well-being or poses a potential threat to the safety of our community, report it. Examples could include:

• Excessive absences from classes/meetings/work
• Noticeable changes in hygiene/appearance
• Frequent tearfulness
• Sudden anger and disruptive outbursts
• Bizarre statements or behavior
• Isolation from others
• Appearing drunk or under the influence of drugs
• Noticeable changes in mood
• Hyperactivity and/or rapid speech
• Otherwise acting out of character in a way that creates concern for the individual’s wellbeing.

If you suspect imminent suicidal behavior, please contact the Emergency Resources listed above the FAQ section.

Yes. Care Team will direct them to community and campus resources.

The guiding principle of the Care Team is early intervention. The Care Team seeks to understand what is happening in each particular situation and works to intervene before a situation escalates.

The Care Team wants to resolve a situation before someone "gets in trouble." Frequently, when a situation is identified early enough and is reported, it can be resolved without the need for further disciplinary action or criminal prosecution against the person involved.

The Care Team takes into account the concerns of the campus, as well as the needs of the student, faculty, or staff member about whom concerns are expressed. Whether the report will adversely affect the individual's student or employment status will depend on the situation.

The Care Team receives and prioritizes the information, then immediately begins further investigation. You may not be notified of the outcome of your report due to confidentiality and privacy concerns. If appropriate, you may be contacted to provide clarification and additional information. Often the initial report is just one piece of the puzzle. A behavior that someone observes can turn out to be an isolated incident and have no cause for further concern, or it may be an indication of a larger problem that needs to be addressed. The team attempts to understand the whole of a person's behavior patterns before making any recommendations for action.

If we do contact you, our priority is to provide you support and assistance in managing the reported situation. We will gather information, recommend next steps, provide information about possible referrals, and develop plans for follow-up. We may not contact you for follow-up depending on the type of report.

The Care Team recommendations may include monitoring the situation, providing resources, addressing the behavior directly, referring to a specific campus office (The Dean of Students office, IUPD, AES, ARC, etc.), or taking more immediate action.

The Care Team does not enact sanctions or administer policy regarding referrals. However, the Care Team can:

• Develop specific strategies to manage potential harmful or disruptive behavior to protect the safety and rights of both the individual and the IU Columbus community.
• Assist faculty or staff in developing a plan of action.
• Provide information and assist in referrals to campus resources that can give continued support to the individual (e.g., academic advising, AES, Schoellkopf Center).
• Coordinate and share information with units/departments that may take actions when there is an imminent threat of harm to self or others, such as: Facilitate evaluation for possible immediate detention, refer information to Campus Police, or provide emergency notification of others.
• Recommend reports be made to offices responsible for conduct/disciplinary actions (student, staff, faculty).
• Continue monitoring the situation without immediate action.