Queens College’s Care and Concern Team is dedicated to supporting students before problems spiral. Founded in September 2008, the team was originally known as the Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) and was created to identify and help students facing academic, personal, or behavioral challenges.
The Care and Concern Team was formed in response to the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting as colleges across the country recognized the need for early intervention systems. QC responded by putting together a group that could step in before issues escalated.
The team is made up of faculty members, staff from Student Affairs, counseling professionals and Public Safety officers. Current members include Dwayne D. Jones, Chair and Interim Dean of Students; Emanuel Avila, Associate Director of Judicial Affairs & Service Learning; and Lt. Hemwatie Seusarran from Public Safety. Depending on the situation, additional staff members may be brought in.
Their goal is intervention and support—not discipline. Students dealing with mental health concerns, academic stress, substance use, or other personal challenges can seek help confidentially by submitting an Online CARE Report or contacting the team directly at CARE@qc.cuny.edu. Faculty and staff are also encouraged to file reports if they notice students in distress or exhibiting concerning behavior.
The Care and Concern Team follows guidelines from the National Association of Behavioral Intervention and Threat Assessment (NABITA). NABITA is an organization focused on improving school safety through preventative measures and intervention.
When a report is submitted, the team reviews it carefully and decides the best next steps, whether that’s reaching out, offering academic help, referring students to counseling services, or arranging a follow-up meeting. Every case is handled individually with a focus on early support.
One of the team’s biggest challenges is encouraging the campus community to report concerns early. Intervention works best when issues are caught before they grow. Using professional expertise, training and campus resources, the team works to make sure students get the help they need.
According to BIT, their mission is to, “Balance the individual needs of the student, faculty or staff and those of the greater campus community; Provide a structured, positive method for addressing behaviors of concern that impact the college community; Manage each case individually; Initiate appropriate intervention; Formalize a protocol of instructions for communication, coordination and intervention; Centralize collection and assessment of ‘red flags’ raised by a community member’s behavior and ‘connect the dots’ of disparate problematic actions involving that individual; Coordinate follow-up to ensure that services, support and resources are deployed effectively.” The team recently updated its name to better reflect its mission.
“The new name better encapsulates the essence of our work and our commitment to addressing the well-being and needs of our Queens College community members,” Jones said in a college communication published in the October 31st, 2023 issue of “Q View.” “We believe this name change more accurately represents the caring and supportive approach we strive to provide.”
Whether students are showing signs of disturbing behavior or simply seem to be in distress, the Care and Concern Team exists to step in early, provide support, and connect students to the help they need.
Latest from Blog
Title IX regulations, which originate from the Education Amendments of 1972, forbid discrimination based on sex
On April 10th, members of the Queens College Academic Senate came together for their monthly meeting
When Professor Michael Lipsey graduated from the Queens College Aaron Copland School of Music (ACSM), he
As a commuter school situated relatively far from most subway lines, hundreds of Queens College students
On March 24th, the CUNY School of Medicine celebrated a major accomplishment of achieving a 100