Care Team

Student alerts are the primary source of information for the Care Team. All community members can submit a student alert for themselves or others.

Asking for help can be difficult, and it can be hard to provide personal information regarding someone you care about. All student alerts are treated with privacy and discretion.

Upon receiving an alert, a Care Team member will review the info and determine the best follow-up plan. In some cases, we may contact the submitter for more info. There are some cases where we may not be able to keep the submitter updated (for FERPA and privacy reasons). The Care Team member will maintain the privacy of the submitter, whenever possible. There are circumstances, however, when the health and well-being of the student or the community as a whole may require disclosure of the submitter.

There are a variety of personal and academic resources available for students to use at any point in their academic journey. Students can access these offices directly or request support through the Care Team to connect with these on-campus resources.

• Berry College Counseling Center is dedicated to supporting all students. Appointments can be made by calling 706.236.2259 or coming by our office in The Ladd Center. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis requiring immediate attention during regular business hours, call the Counseling Center for a same-day Solution Session (a brief, solution-focused meeting to assist with reducing distress and assessing your needs).
• The Office of Accessibility Resources
• The Academic Success Center
• Financial Need
  • Financial Aid 
  • The Emergency Relief Fund – Students experiencing urgent, short-term personal financial need may seek a grant from the Berry Emergency Relief Fund, a special resource established by Berry students. The fund is totally dependent on contributions from groups and/or individuals. Disbursements are confidential and are made through the Office of the Chaplain and Dean of Students Office.
• The Student Hospitalization Guide provides helpful information and resources to help guide students who may experience a disruption due to hospitalization.
• The Market is a free food and resource market for Berry students located in the Ladd Center Room 12 — open Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 5:00pm whenever the College is open. If you have questions, concerns or if you're interested in contiributing to The Market, please reach out to Rebecca Houchins Hensley, rhouchinshensley@berry.edu.

Faculty and staff are often the first group to recognize and respond to students facing significant challenges or in crisis.

Blue Folder – The Dean of Students provides a folder to all faculty and staff with guidance on responding to emergency situations, assisting distressed students and providing pathways for student support. You can access a digital copy of the Blue Folder here. If you are in need of a physical copy of the blue folder, please email The Dean of Students Office (deanofstudents@berry.edu).

After the alert – Once the Care Team receives your referral, they will assess and coordinate the resources needed in order to mitigate the student’s challenge. However, in the event that a student is perceived to be at risk of harm to self or others, the Care Team, with assistance from appropriate college officials, will intervene immediately.

• The Care Team will continue to check in with the student on the established plan.
• The Care team may determine that immediate action is not necessary but will continue to monitor the student and any concerns.
• The person making the referral might not be involved in the follow-up and/or outreach to the student.

Syllabus Statement – As members of a learning community, we have a responsibility to care for one another. Students can face challenges that may affect their ability to engage in their coursework. If you or someone you know is facing challenges such as mental health concerns, food insecurity or a personal crisis, faculty and staff on the Care Team are available to help. If you need support or need to support a peer, you are encouraged to complete a student alert form. A link to this form is located at the bottom of the www.berry.edu webpage. If I notice any signs of risk to self or others, I may speak to you individually and I may submit a student alert.