CARE Team
Contact Information
Marple Campus
Office 3250
Charles Schnur
Director of Student Conduct
Phone: 610-359-7389
Fax: 610-325-2820
Email
The College’s CARE Team
Consultation - Assessment - Referral - Education
A Safety Net to Support Our Students and Each Other
Delaware County Community College is concerned about the health, welfare and safety of its students, faculty and staff. We’re committed to providing an environment where individuals can learn, work and teach successfully. Our College’s CARE Team is made up of an interdisciplinary group for assessing, recognizing and educating students who are in apparent or potential distress at any of the College’s campuses or sites, and could benefit from the safety net of the College’s CARE Team.
In 2023-2024, the CARE Team reviewed and helped with over 110 referrals from our College community.
Although the team focuses on preventing a threat and/or crisis before it occurs, it will react to sudden or crisis behavioral concerns when they occur as well. Our CARE Team’s response is not meant to take the place of standard classroom management techniques, alter the student code of conduct or replace other processes, including the complaint or harassment processes. Instead, the team provides a structure that allows all College community members to be actively engaged in creating a safe environment for students, faculty and staff alike.
Goals of the College’s CARE Team:
- Provide a formal protocol for addressing behaviors that impact the well-being of an individual or the College community.
- Connect members of the College community to needed resources.
- Determine and initiate appropriate response to ensure that services, support and resources are deployed effectively.
- Balance the needs of the student and those of the College community at large.
Possible Reasons for a CARE Team referral:
- Student has excessive absences from class or group activity
- Student makes concerning communications to an instructor
- Student's behavior indicates heightened/extreme personal distress
- Student exhibits unusual behavior
- Concern a student is suffering from impaired mental status
- Concern a student may be having thoughts of suicide
- Student is experiencing stress over housing or financial insecurity
Are you Concerned for a student?
Referrals to the College’s CARE Team may be made by students, faculty and staff and can be anonymous, though we encourage you to provide your name in case we need additional information to appropriately address the concern. When a referral is submitted through our web form above, each CARE Team member immediately receives the report via email. The team evaluates each report during regular meetings to give the best response for each referral.
If there is an immediate life-threatening mental health emergency, call 911 for police and ambulance/paramedic response for transport to local hospital. If there is an acute need for mental health services, call 988. Examples of acute need include talking about suicide, talking about harming oneself, overuse of drugs or alcohol, extreme depression, anxiety or other mental health symptoms, or a self-injury that does not need medical attention.
You may also call the Delaware County Crisis Connection Team at
Potential Next Steps by the CARE Team:
- Assist faculty or staff in developing a plan of action
- Refer student to appropriate community resources
- Facilitate a meeting between concerned parties
- Mandate psychological assessment
- Recommend voluntary or involuntary removal from a class or the College
- Make other recommendations consistent with College policies or procedures
- Recommend no action, pending further observation
Team Members:
- Charles Schnur, Director of Student Conduct (Chair)
- Dana Baker, Assistant Dean, Business, Computing & Social Science
- Lynette Luckers, Dean, Counseling and Completion Services
- Matt Brenner, Director of Safety & Security
- Michele Boyle, Professor, Counselor
- Mitch Murtha, Vice President of Student Affairs
- Simone Richardson, Director of Disability Services
- Stephanie Sarafinas, Professor, Counselor
FAQs:
Who can submit a referral?
Anyone who is concerned about the behavior of a student at the College is encouraged to submit a CARE referral. Some students may feel more comfortable reporting a concern to counselors, faculty or staff members who will send the information to the CARE Team directly.
Should I approach the student first?
Whenever possible, you should express your concern directly to the student.
What if I'm not ready to make a report, but I just need some advice about handling a student issue?
You can contact the CARE Team Chair, Charles Schnur, at
What if I'm not sure if I should report the concern?
You are registering a concern based on an observed behavior (e.g. verbal exchange, disruption, inappropriate action) and not making a determination. Let the College’s CARE Team weigh the information and decide if gathering more information is warranted.
How do I know if the concerning behavior is a CARE Team issue or is more appropriately handled by other College resources?
You do not need to make this determination. The critical step is that you report the concerning behavior. If another College resource is more appropriate, the CARE Team will refer the student and transfer the information to that resource.
What will happen after I make a referral?
CARE Team members evaluate every report and identify next steps that are appropriate to the situation.
Will the person get in trouble?
The focus of the College’s CARE Team is to provide a safety net so that the student of concern is appropriately supported. If there is an alleged conduct violation for a student, the report could be referred to the Office of Student Conduct.
Can I submit anonymously?
The CARE Referral form does not require your name to be entered, but we encourage you to identify yourself because this may assist the CARE Team if clarification or if additional information is needed.
What should I do if I have a question not answered above?
All questions and suggestions are welcomed. You can contact the CARE Team Chair, Charles Schnur, at 610-359-7389
