Faculty members are sometimes faced with student issues requiring intervention that extends beyond the academic and empathic encouragement provided within the classroom. Vermont State University has many resources available to support them and the purpose of this page is to provide you with practical recommendations as well as the contact information for staff members who are in the best position to help.
Recommendations
- Discuss available services on the first day of class!
- Ensure they are aware of the services provided by the Health and Wellness Center, the Advising department, Academic Support, and Student Life.
- Ask them if they are able to log into their student portal and other systems, such as Canvas and the VSCS Library System, and provide them with the information to submit a help desk request to the Office of Information Technology.
- Make sure you and they have the contact information for the Public Safety Office on your campus. Emergencies within and outside the classroom can happen and it is best to be prepared for the unexpected.
- Highlight the contact information for all of the support departments to students. The Student Success team has created a website, linked in the left menu of all Canvas courses which includes details about how to access campus support services and departments.
- Build connections and rapport with staff members in the student services departments. Everyone at the university wants to see our students persist, and proactive interdepartmental communication can be beneficial in building a solid student support system and holistic viewpoint of their college experience.
- In addition to entering attendance, use the Aviso software to submit alerts pertaining to student concerns, such as poor academic progress.