Click on the links below to view assistance suggestions and University Resources for each type of student distress.

• Academic Difficulty
• Academic Integrity
• Suicidal Behavior
• Disruptive Behavior
• Stalking
• Disability Issues
• International Students' Concerns
• Communicating Distress
• Difficulties With a Faculty Advisor
• After a Distressing Community Event or Tragedy

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After a Distressing Community Event or Tragedy

Identifying the Problem:

Students can be negatively impacted by events happening in the University or greater communities even if they are not personally directly impacted. One obvious example of such an event would be a terrorist act, but other more common examples are:

• the death of someone in a residence hall
• death of a faculty or staff member with whom the student had interacted
• a fire in a residence hall or student apartment
• witnessing an act of violence
• the disappearance of a student, staff or faculty member

Experiencing such events can compound the stress typically associated with the college years and bring back memories of previous losses or trauma.

Typical Responses to Tragedy:

• Shock and disbelief: feeling numb, or like such an event can't be real.
• Speculating about what happened and seeking more information (listening to or watching the news, checking the web for updates, talking to others about what one knows or has heard)
• Feeling sadness or anger about the tragedy and discussing this with family, friends, and colleagues.
• Wanting to check in with loved ones, even if they are not close to the disaster, or in any immediate danger. It is normal to want to touch base with someone you care about.
• In the hours and days following such tragedies, the shock begins to wear off, and more feelings may emerge, such s sadness and anger. It is important to share these feelings with a trusted person. For some people, the level of feelings or the kinds of questions that emerge may indicate that additional counseling support would be helpful.

How to Respond:

See General Guidelines

As a faculty or staff member you may come into contact with students who indicate that they need help with their event response. This contact with students provides the faculty or staff member with a unique opportunity to refer students to appropriate resources, often a critical factor in influencing students' academic performance. With community tragedies it is particularly helpful to remind students that fear, grief, uncertainty and anger are all normal experiences many people have following tragedies. Students can be encouraged to:

• Talk with others about their feelings and experiences.
• Pray or do other spiritual activities that help maintain strength and faith.
• Practice good self-care-eating a well-balanced diet, getting enough sleep and participating in some form of exercise at current fitness level.
• Resume a normal routine as much as possible.

University Resources:

• University Counseling and Consulting Services
  109 Eddy Hall and 199 Coffey Hall
  Phone: 612-624-3323
  http://www.ucs.umn.edu
   
• Boynton Health Service, Mental Health Clinic (4th floor)
  410 Church St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455
  Phone: 612-624-1444 (clinic number), 612-625-8475 (Urgent Counselor)
  http://www.bhs.umn.edu
   
• Student Conflict Resolution Center
  107 Eddy Hall, U of MN, East Bank
  Phone: (612) 625-5900, fax: (612) 626-0691
  http://www.tc.umn.edu/~sos/
   
• Employee Assistance Programs (for U of MN employees)
  200 Donhowe Building, Rm B20
  319-15th Avenue SE
  Phone: 612-625-4073, Fax: 612- 626-0243
  E-Mail melan001@tc.umn.edu
  http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/fasap/index.html
   
• Emergency Care when University Facilities Are Closed:
   
  • Life-threatening emergency, call 911. Phone counseling:
    Crisis Connection at (612) 379-6363
    Suicide Hotline at (612) 873-2222.
    
  • Face-to-Face Evaluation:
    Acute Psychiatric Services (Hennepin County Medical Center)
    701 Park Avenue South, Minneapolis
    (612) 873-3161
    
    The emergency room at Fairview-University Medical Center,
    Riverside Campus, 2450 Riverside Ave., on the West Bank
    (612) 672-6402