Reach Out Early

As a faculty or staff member, you may be in the best position to know when a graduate student could use additional assistance.  If you are in contact with a graduate student who is experiencing significant challenges, please feel free to refer them to the appropriate Graduate Studies faculty or staff member. By reaching out to a graduate student early in the process, escalation of problems can be mitigated and result in a better outcome for all involved.

Do not wait until a graduate student is in crisis to contact us. If you are in contact with a distressed or distressing graduate student, you may note some or all of the following signs:

• References to suicide or homicide
• Traumatic change in relationships (death of family member or friend, problems with other graduate students)
• Significant problems with academic or research performance
• Traumatic change in status (such as not passing the qualifying exams)
• Unusual behavior (such as change in appearance, lack of energy, increased aggressiveness, etc.)

Contact Graduate Studies

Graduate Studies also provides consultations for faculty and staff who are concerned about an individual graduate student’s welfare or the climate within a graduate group or department. We can provide resources and communication strategies to enable faculty and staff to better assist graduate students in need.

 Contacting us when a problem or concern first materializes can help prevent most cases from becoming a crisis. For the most serious and ongoing cases, a campus-wide Graduate Student Case Management group, which includes Graduate Studies staff members, meets regularly to monitor and resolve these cases.