City College dean of information technology, Dr. Elaine Ader, presented a proposal to members of the Associated Student Government Sept. 30 to discuss working together to get the word out about the campus Crisis Intervention Team.
Ader, also the head of the disciplinary board, said the CIT was formed in spring 2010 to assist students facing physical or emotional challenges.
“We didn’t want students to fall through the cracks,” said Ader. “Everybody knows about something, but nobody knows about it [all], and that was the thing that we were concerned about. The idea of the team was to say that we would all be better if we were working together.”
Ader said the CIT does not have a specifi c location like the Counseling Center but is a consortium of people on campus available to assist students.
Ader said the CIT consists of herself, Campus Police Captain Valerie Cox, Police Sergeant Mike Olson, Director of Instructional Services and Student Grievance Offi cer Julia Jolly, college nurse Jeff Christian, Learning Disability Coordinator and Counselar Dr. Gwyneth Tracy, and Vice President of Student Services Michael Poindexter.
“We want to help students who are having diffi culties,” said Ader. “There are several different ways that a student can reach us. They can tell their instructors who can contact us, or the student can go to counseling and work with one of the counselors who have training in crisis management. Students can even inform a staff member that they trust, and the staff member can contact us.”
ASG Secretary Debbie Dixon suggested that her fellow board members assist Ader and the other members of CIT with the overall well-being of the student body.
“I think it would be a good idea to work with the Crisis Intervention Center to better serve the students,” said ASG Secretary, Debbie Dixon.
According to Ader, she deals with several different types of students on a regular basis. At times she gets calls from students who are having issues with a faculty member or sometimes even another student.
“There could be a fi ght on the quad, and the team would get together and fi gure out what procedures they’re using and what they’re doing presently to resolve it,” Ader said.
