About the Author
Kellie Raffaelli, EdD
Dean of Students and Associate Vice President for Student Affairs
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Day one brings excitement and energy to campus, but beneath the joy of reunions and new beginnings, many students face serious personal challenges through the transitions. Military duty, family deaths, illness, mental health struggles, financial difficulties, and medical diagnoses don’t pause for the semester. Many students are figuring out how to navigate these crises alone for the first time, away from their support systems.
Our Approach
The Dean of Students office manages crisis situations daily for undergraduate and graduate students. We provide guidance, interventions, and resource coordination, following a “challenge and support” philosophy. We present students with options, empowering them to make informed decisions instead of us deciding for them.
Team Charge and Structure
We use specialized teams to ensure effective support and prevent burnout within our staff.
Early Intervention Team (EIT)
EIT reviews and screens potential at-risk students, critical situations, and incidents that occur on campus. The team determines appropriate intervention strategies and outreach efforts. The team is made up of staff from Student Affairs, Public Safety, and Title IX. You can learn more about EIT by visiting this page.
Academic Intervention Team (AIT)
AIT provides coordinated support to students who are experiencing academic difficulty. Staff from Student Affairs and Academic Affairs use holistic approaches for academically struggling students.
Ongoing Support
Our non-clinical case manager provides continued assistance through one-on-one meetings, success courses, counseling connections, or success coaching. Sometimes the best support means helping students withdraw temporarily to plan a successful return later.
Community Partnership
Effective support requires campus-wide awareness. Students build relationships through academics, employment, involvement, and residence life. We rely on everyone to help identify struggling students.
Report concerns through our specialized forms covering general concerns to specific issues like discrimination. Anyone—including families and community members—can report anonymously or with contact information. Our teams reach out to every student reported within 1–3 days of receiving that report. Emergency cases are handled immediately.
Each situation is unique, requiring individualized support plans that only succeed when students commit to receiving help.