The Castleton Support Team is Ready to Help!

An Excerpt from Email Message from Dean Proulx on Sept. 7, 2021.

The Castleton Support Team (CST) is a group of administrators and counselors who assists students at Castleton.  Through early intervention, we work to promote a student’s academic, emotional, and financial well-being.  You can send an alert or a note as described below depending on the response you wish from CST. 

As a Castleton educator, we rely on you to help identify those students who may need additional support.  If you have concerns about a student, please take the following steps:

1. Discuss your concerns with the student.  Explain that the academic or personal problems you observe may be preventing them from succeeding. As appropriate, make a referral to a campus or community resource, such as the ASC or Wellness.
   
2. ALERTS: If you believe CST should take action to help a student, please create an Alert in Aviso. (If no action is required consider a note as described below). If you are unable to create an Aviso alert, please email your concern about a student to Kelley Beckwith and Dennis Proulx. 
   
   Typical reasons to create an Alert include:
   • Significant academic problems such as the inability to comprehend course material, a pattern of missed assignments or exams, or weak academic skills.
   • Concerns of a personal nature, such as suspected mental health, substance abuse, or personal health challenges like loneliness, withdrawal, poor grooming, erratic attendance, depression, anxiety, aggressive or erratic behavior.
   • Financial difficulties.
     
     Note: There’s no need to submit an alert for a missed class, missed exam, or low grade until there is a concerning pattern. Use a Note instead.
     
3. NOTES: If no CST action is needed, but you would like to record a concern or other information so that the Advisor and other Followers in Aviso are aware, please create a Note in Aviso. Notes help advisors and CST to adopt a holistic approach to supporting students.
   
   Typical reasons to create a Note include:
   • To summarize a conversation with a student where you helped with a decision or offered support. 
   • To note other minor concerns. 
     
4. AUTOMATED ALERTS: As you may recall, in addition to the faculty and staff-initiated alerts, Aviso also produces automated alerts. The automated current grade alert will be active on September 16 for Canvas course averages below 70%. Students with an average below the 70% threshold will receive a message referring them to both their professor and the ASC for support. Login alerts are already running, but only for online courses this year. Students in on-line sections who do not login to Canvas at least once in 14 days will receive an alert. 
   
5. To learn more about Aviso, all employees can explore the VSC Aviso Training Course in Canvas. (For new guidance on alerts, achievements, closing alerts, and general information, see CU Alerts & Achievements SP21 in Canvas.)

If you are unable to create an Aviso alert, please email your concern about a student to Kelley Beckwith and Dennis Proulx. Please include the student’s full name and ID number when possible. 

For students in acute distress or when a consultation is appropriate before a referral is made, a call to the Wellness Center (x31365), the Dean of Students Office (X31249), or Public Safety (x31215) is advisable. Thank you for working together with the Castleton Support Team to further the success of our students.