Students who feel they do not have a voice on campus should contact SNHU’s CARE Team, a group of staff and faculty working to improve the lives of struggling students by connecting them to necessary resources.
The CARE Team focuses on prevention and early intervention for students experiencing distress or those who engage in harmful or disruptive behaviors, while helping them meet their academic, personal and professional goals.
“If it’s impeding a student’s ability to do well here, we’re glad to offer help,” said Jay Tifone, CARE Team chairman.
The CARE Team provides services to students who experience a wide range of concerns from anger to expressions of suicide and feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness. The CARE Team also provides services to students who experience a change in academic performance, poor attendance, severe anxiety, deterioration in physical appearance or personal hygiene, excessive fatigue, exhaustion, visible changes in weight, drug or alcohol abuse and frequent or chronic illness.
The CARE Team is meant to support students by providing assistance to those who may be a risk to themselves or others. They have had 200 referrals since September. Last year, they had 290 referrals all academic year.
“If a student is open to help, the CARE Team can do a lot to connect a struggling student with the assistance they need to get back on track,” Tifone said.
The CARE Team is comprised of ten faculty and staff leaders including Tifone. They are Shannon Brown, Director of Residence Life, Kevin Kelly, Associate Director of Public Safety, Felix Pizzi, Director of Wellness, Russ Antoine, Associate Director of Community Standards, Stephanie Ames, Associate Director of Campus Accessibility, Carey Glines, Dean of Student Success, Henry Voros, Associate Director of Student Financial Services, Jane Yerrington, Assistant Vice President of Academic Operations and Jackie Dunn, Office Manager of Student Affairs.
The CARE Team was founded in the Spring of 2015 under the leadership of Shannon Brown and Sheila Lambert. At that time, it was called the Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) and was designed to head-off disruptive student behaviors that might threaten the safety of individuals or the SNHU community. The group was renamed in 2017 to the CARE Team, with the same intention of addressing threatening behaviors early-on. They also address disruptive/concerning behaviors that might not threaten anyone’s safety, but could impact a student ability to remain at the university.
If a student knows someone they feel may need the CARE Team’s services, reach out to an RA, staff or faculty member or any of the professionals on the team. A student may also send an email to CAREteam@snhu.edu, or visit the Student Affairs Office in the Student Center to make an appointment with Tifone.
