If you are concerned about a student who may be in distress, feeling overly anxious, or exhibiting worrying behavior (missing class, behavior that is unusual for the student, or expressing strong emotional responses), then please do reach out. Your instinct is usually correct.
Please reach out to the student, and also feel free to contact a support resource to help you follow up. If you reach out and the student doesn’t respond, please contact a resource person (below) to help follow up.
Resources to assist faculty with student support
- The Undergraduate Office (Emma Dunn Santana)
- Student Support Services (S^3) (If you know their Dean, you can email them directly. Otherwise, email s3-support@mit.edu)
- A student’s housemaster (for students living on-campus) – A “wellness check” through Residential Life can also be initiated by contacting S^3.
While you may be the first point of contact for a student in distress, and your support is important for the student, please refer the student to additional resources in order to help them resolve or cope with the issues causing the stress.
Student Support Resources
- The Undergraduate Office (can help with scheduling or course planning issues, can provide referals for other issues)
- Student Support Services (can help navigate personal and medical issues, can provide referals for other issues)
- Mental Health & Counseling (confidential help with issues of mental health, stress, anxiety, and personal issues)
- Student Disabilities Services (if a student expresses concern about recurring symptoms that might indicate an undiagnosed disability – SDS can provide a referral for assessment, and will often offer to assist a student in developing a study plan even without a diagnosed disability)
- A full list of student support resources can be found here.