Who can make referrals to the ROAR team? | How does the ROAR team work? | BTMT Form | CARE Form | Confidentiality | ROAR Team 

Overview

The ROAR Team at Penn State Greater is comprised of faculty and staff members who receive referrals related to students exhibiting concerning behaviors.  The team assesses the referral, and coordinates intervention strategies and outreach. 

Students can be referred to the ROAR Team for concerns related to observable behavior such as the following:

  • Excessive absences from class
  • Unusual or erratic behavior
  • Emotional or mental health issues
  • Substance abuse issues
  • Threats to self or others
  • Significant financial concerns, homelessness, hunger
  • Witness to an incident
  • Family or relationship concerns

The ROAR Team is not meant to replace individual interventions by faculty and staff and should only be used if other direct methods have been tried and failed.

The ROAR Team is a service at Penn State Greater Allegheny that provides employees, staff and peers an opportunity to share their concerns about a student’s wellness or safety. The main purpose of the program is to be proactive in assisting students by identifying students of concern and intervening early with students who appear to be having academic or health/safety issues. The ROAR Team may also work to improve retention.

Who can make a referral to The ROAR Team?

Faculty and Staff 

  • Faculty and staff are often the front-line individuals able to identify students in need of support before anyone else.  Please use the referral form to make the team aware of a student who you suspect may be in need of academic, health, or social intervention.  You can also utilize this referral form to report an incident that occurred during a classroom or office interaction.
  • If your concern is related to academic performance, please raise a flag via the Starfish system in addition to your referral to the ROAR team. 

Peers and Family Members

Friends and family members often observe changes in students’ behavior long before faculty or staff.  If you have observed a concerning behavior with a student, please complete the referral form.  The ROAR Team works collaboratively with support services across campus and in the community to provide guidance to students and address the issues of concern.

Referrals

Referrals to the ROAR Team can be made in person or via phone call to any member of the care team, or by completing the online referral form. 

How does The ROAR Team work? 

Step 1: Review Referral

You will receive an email confirmation that your referral was received. The ROAR Team reviews each referral to determine the appropriate actions to be taken.  You may be contacted if additional information is needed.

Step 2: Create a Plan and Outreach

The ROAR Team will assess the referral and will reach out to the student directly or through another campus support area with an existing relationship with the student. Departments working in collaboration with the ROAR Team include Financial Aid, Advising, Student Engagement, Disability Services, Learning Center, Academic Affairs, Athletics, Health Services and others.

Step 3: Follow-Up

The ROAR Team will follow up with the student and with the referring party.  Student follow up will vary depending on the needs of the situation. Some situations may require a one-time meeting with a staff member, others may require on-going follow-up.

The ROAR Team is NOT an emergency response system. These submissions will be reviewed during normal business hours Monday- Friday 8:00am-5:00pm. 

If you need immediate assistance and/or the behaviors are reflecting imminent risk of harm - contact Penn State Crisis Line at 1-877-229-6400 or call the Police at 911.

 

PSU link for a BTMT form

https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?PennState&layout_id=2

Examples:

  • Preoccupation with violence: boasts, predictions, and subtle threats; stories, essays, poems, and pictures; violent fantasies; interest in violent games, movies, and books
  • Depression; anger; impulsive and uncontrollable behavior 
  • Low frustration tolerance
  • Grudges; lack of resiliency 
  • “Us against them” mentality; narcissism 
  • Boastful about weapons; abusive language 
  • Desire to physically harm others, wishes of death, history of physical assault 
  • Rebellion against authority, Isolation or withdrawal 

PSU Link for a CARE form 

https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?PennState&layout_id=14

Examples:

  • Students not responding to faculty attempts related to class attendance, course performance, etc.
  • Personal health or wellness; students who continue to exhibit symptoms of impaired health, even after appropriate referral to a health provider
  • Students exhibiting behaviors or expressing comments which have the potential to impact the safety of self or others
  • Students exhibiting strange or bizarre behavioral patterns that have the potential for disruption to others and impaired performance; or extreme changes in behavioral patterns i.e. hyperactivity or very rapid speech, depressed or lethargic mood, deterioration in hygiene, withdrawn or disengaged, etc. (For mental health emergencies related to imminent danger to self or others please call 911.)

 

What about confidentiality?

Details reviewed by the ROAR Team will be kept confidential by all members. Information may be shared on a strictly “need to know” basis in order to refer the student to the correct campus resource or intervene as appropriate. FERPA allows for communication to be shared among“school officials” who have a legitimate educational interest. Under FERPA, there is clear exception for any risks to health or safety. One good resource is the USDE publication “Balancing Student Privacy and School Safety: A Guide to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act for Colleges and Universities”, which can be found at: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/fpco/brochures/postsec.html