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The BIT has been renamed the CARES team to better reflect our work. The majority of our referrals result in implementing supportive interventions and sharing resources. With this new coordinated referral system, we are hoping to make it easier for folks to connect a student to the right resource or office.

Upon receiving your referral, we will examine the report for elements such as:

• Did the student violate the code of conduct?
• Does the student have prior referrals?
• How critical are our concerns?

Depending on the nature of the referral, your incident report will either get routed to the Office of Community Standards or the CARES(BIT) team. 

While each team has a different process, rest assured that every single referral will be assessed and the student of concern will receive outreach or intervention. 

There is no “wrong” way to refer a student for assistance. Regardless of the student’s risk level, we will always provide outreach and/or help them to locate a resource. Due to the volume of student of concern referrals, the CARES(BIT) will only assess students at moderate to critical risk levels at our weekly meeting. However, the Dean of Student’s Office still provides outreach and case management services to students with mild or emerging needs.

The CARES(BIT) team has a Faculty and Staff Guide that may provide additional information on how to help a student. Or contact us at 406-243-5225 or deanofstudents@umontana.edu

That’s okay! We will examine the report and decide the best team to manage the situation. Just provide any information that will be helpful in our assessment. For more information, check out our UM Faculty and Staff Guide.

Nope. In fact, it is the responsibility of faculty, staff, and students to report any situation that could possibly result in harm to anyone at the university. Disclosures to school officials who have legitimate educational interests in students do not violate . Family, caregivers, and community members may also refer a student to our offices; however, we are not able to share information regarding interventions and outcomes with referring parties who do not qualify as “school officials.”

Refer directly to a Wellbeing Support Coach by completing their . 

Yes, you can. However, understand that our ability to help you or the student may be limited if we can not contact you for further details. You can share your preferences on our . If you believe that a student has violated the code of conduct, they will need to know the details of their alleged policy violation(s) as part of the conduct process.  

Please refer to our UM Faculty and Staff Guide, or contact us at 406-243-5225 or deanofstudents@umontana.edu to talk through your concerns and questions. 

Definitely! If you are a student in need of assistance or resources, please contact us either through the , email us at deanofstudents@umconnect.edu, or give us a call at 406-243-5225 and we can figure it out together!

The short answer is: maybe.

In most cases, while we hope that you connect with us in order to learn about resources and assistance at UM, your participation is voluntary. At times, it may be necessary to meet with us if you are creating a large community impact, or if we have concerns for your safety. 

The dean of students office will issue you communications if a meeting is mandatory. Failure to meet with the dean may result in a hold being placed on your account.

A comprehensive list of assistance options can be found on the Resources Pages.

A team member from the dean of students office is always happy to meet with you to discuss your experiences at UM. We may ask questions about what campus or community resources you are currently utilizing, your goals, or we may chat about how we can support you in developing additional skills. We can meet with you in one of our offices, a comfortable spot on campus, by phone, Zoom, or Teams. 

Some students will visit us once or twice, while others may choose to meet with us several times over the course of a semester.