Campus Assessment, Response and Education Team
Risk Assessment Resources Student Concern Form
Western Michigan University’s Campus Assessment, Response and Education, henceforth referred to as CARE, is a cross-functional team designed to promote student success, well-being and campus safety. This team engages in proactive and collaborative approaches to support students in distress (referred via the online CARE form) and identify, assess and mitigate risks to individual students and the University community.
What CARE Does
CARE’s primary function is to help keep the university community safe and connect distressed students to support services. CARE seeks prevention rather than reaction to students in distress.
To do so, CARE:
- Gathers and manages reported information from concerned campus constituents to develop plans for responding to and supporting students in distress
- Assesses the level of risk posed by a student’s behavior
- Intervenes with students and connects them to support services on and off campus
- Provides guidance and resources to concerned faculty, staff and students
How the Process Works
When a student concern form is submitted, it is directed to four administrators, including, but not limited to, the Director of Counseling, Case Manager and Dean of Students. The team reviews the case and assesses the level of risk to determine appropriate next steps. Some cases are forwarded to the CARE team based on the assessed level of risk.
CARE Team Members
The CARE team is comprised of dedicated WMU staff and faculty focused on student well-being, mental health, law enforcement, and risk assessment. Current membership includes representatives from the following departments:
- Dean of Students
- Counseling Services
- Housing and Residence Life
- Student Rights and Responsibilities
- WMU Public Safety
- Disability Services for Students
- Center for Counseling and Psychological Services
- Office of Institutional Equity