Student Affairs Case Managers
Think of a Student Affairs Case Manager as a navigator. We are here to help students, staff and faculty navigate the many policies and processes on campus.
We are also here to help TRU community members explore resources, on and off campus, to support student well-being and academic success.
On this page
Information for students
We point you in the right direction if you don’t know where to go. We support students experiencing personal hardships that may, or may not, impact their academic performance or wellness.
These hardships can be personal, financial, physical, food access, or mental health concerns. We can support you in an emergency or guide you if you ever feel unsafe. We can help if you experience discrimination or harassment, need to withdraw from class, or want to appeal a grade. We have a plethora of campus and community resources that we are ready to connect you with.
Consider booking an appointment if you:
- Aren’t sure where to go.
- Experience personal hardship.
- Feel unsafe.
- Have low grades.
- Have a change in mood or behaviour.
- Need to appeal a grade.
- Are being harassed or discriminated against.
- Experience a financial emergency.
- Aren’t taking very good care of yourself.
- Have an emergency.
- Are concerned about your mental health.
- Need help navigating a policy or investigation.
Information for Indigenous students
Weyt’kp! Welcome! We want you to know that can contact our student case managers any time you need support. We can connect you with Indigenous counsellors and Indigenous learning strategists on campus to support your success. We have information on programming, services, and events through Cplul’kw’ten.
You are welcome to invite your Indigenous learning strategist or any support person you want to any meeting you have with us. If you ever experience discrimination or harassment on campus or in residence, we will listen. We will talk about your options and the potential outcomes if you want to report. We will never force you to report an incident without your permission. Your information is kept confidential.
Information for instructors
We know you have a vested interest in your students’ success, and we are here to help. The student case managers wholistically connect students with resources when they experience personal hardship, mental or physical health issues, or behavioral concerns. We can help you identify and refer students in distress at any time of the day.
We provide consultation on navigating institutional policies and processes and reporting inappropriate student behavior under the Respectful Workplace and Harassment Prevention Policy. We want to help all TRU community members understand their rights and responsibilities under any university policy.
We take a restorative, rather than punitive approach, to student misconduct. Please see below for information on services we provide faculty and staff.
Services we can provide
- Accept referrals for students who experience personal hardship such as death or financial crisis.
- Accept referrals for students with complex mental health concerns.
- Accept referrals for students who are struggling academically.
- Support students, staff, and faculty in contacting RCMP for any reason.
- Consultation on reporting student misconduct under the Respectful Workplace and Harassment Prevention Policy.
- Crisis management between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
- Coordinate resources for students discharged from the hospital.
- Consultation around navigating any institutional policy or process.
- Deliver training on supporting students in distress.
- Request wellness checks from the RCMP when there is a risk of harm to a student.
- Support students with submission of an academic appeals.
- Support a student to withdraw from courses for exceptional circumstances.
- Support students going through a school related investigation.
Services we don’t provide
- Accompaniment to the hospital.
- Counselling services (we refer to on campus and after hours counselling).
- Consultations after 4 p.m.
- Decision making on class concessions or investigation outcomes.
- Immigration advice — we refer students to their international student advisor.
- Informal mediation — we need a formal report to mediate.
When do I refer a student to a case manager?
Refer a student if you notice these behaviors:
- Direct or indirect references to dying by suicide.
- Mention physical health, mental health, or financial hardship.
- Mention a major life event such as a family death, divorce, or homelessness.
- Habitual tardiness.
- Social isolation.
- Major changes in mood or behaviour.
- Unexplained absences.
- Deteriorating health or hygiene.
- Dropping grades.
- Excessive in-class sleepiness.
- Homesickness.
- Disruptive behaviour.
- Under the influence of substances in class.
- Students say they need help with a policy or process on campus.
What should I do if I have a student in distress after 4 p.m.?
If the student is upset and crying, seat them in a private, quiet area, and ask them to breathe four seconds in, hold for four seconds, and exhale for four seconds and repeat. You can leave them to regulate through breathing and check on them after five minutes. Once calm follow these steps:
- Listen to the concern, do not interrupt or problem solve.
- Care: Repeat the concern back to the student in your own words to show you hear them.
- Link: Connect the student to one of the resources listed below.
- Follow up: Let the student know you are referring them to a student case manager. Email the incident to [email protected] and cc the student email (if known).
A step-by-step guide to referring a student to resources after 4 p.m.
If a student is in crisis, distressed, or experienced a major loss: Refer to free 24/7 counselling service (Keep me Safe). Provide a quiet space. Have the student call 1-844-451-9700 and follow the prompts on the phone. Sit with the student until they connect with the counsellor. After they connect you can step away. Follow up within 24 hours by emailing the incident to [email protected] and cc the student email (if known).
If a student has experienced sexualized violence: DO NOT CALL POLICE. Provide a quiet space. Have the student call the Kamloops Sexual Assault and Counselling Center’s 24/7 crisis line, 1-888-974-7278. The response worker will confirm the student’s safety for the night, go over reporting options, and will go to the hospital with the student. Let the student know that they can also meet with a Sexualized Violence Response Manager on campus by emailing [email protected] or walking into OM1486 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Finally, Alert the SVPR team that you received a disclosure by submitting the form here. You can request on the form that an SVPR manager connects with you directly to debrief.
If the student does not have housing: Confirm that they have a place to stay tonight. If they do, have them go to that location. Refer them in priority to a student case manager (email [email protected]). Clearly state in the email that the student has an emergency housing concern. Cc the student’s email (if known).
If the student does not have shelter for the night: have the student text or call ‘211’ and state, they need shelter tonight. In addition to calling 211, provide the student with this list of Kamloops shelters. The operator will guide the student on where they can go for the evening. Follow up with an email to the student case manager. State clearly that the student has an emergency housing concern and cc the student email.
