Throughout the entire year, Student Life and Engagement’s (SLE) Residence Education and Housing Services (REHS) and the Michigan State University Office of Student Support and Accountability (OSSA) offer comprehensive support to students. 

Through the dedicated efforts of the REHS Residential Student Care Coordinator and OSSA Case Managers, these positions provide a range of resources and outreach services designed to meet the diverse needs of the student population.

“We wanted to provide care services for our students, who may be expressing some need,” says Senior Vice President for Student Life & Engagement Vennie Gore. “It could be mental health, or just being in various different situations.”

While these positions have been created and refined to support student experience on and off campus, it is essential to acknowledge their limitations. The goal of the Case Managers is to guide referred individuals toward campus and community resources, empowering them to become self-advocates, and care for their overall well-being.

The Role of the Residential Student Care Coordinator

The residential student care coordinator is part of a larger group known as the Residential Care and Community Expectations (RCCE) team. This team reviews thousands of reports from the residence halls throughout the academic year, ranging from policy violations to information regarding student needs, well-being, and mental health.

This role is relatively new. Previously, the responsibility for one-on-one student support was held primarily by residence hall or apartment community directors. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the team advocated for a specialized role to better address student well-being. In response, the residential student care coordinator position was created in 2021. 

“The addition of the care coordinator has expanded our ability to train and support the residential hall staff and their skills too,” says Assistant Director for Residential Care and Community Expectations Kelsey Skinner. “They do more training and emphasis on how to respond to those in crisis related to mental health, such as how to support, navigate and talk to students.”

Although now an OSSA case manager, Gabrielle Barnett started as the Residential Student Case Coordinator in early 2022 and has seen how the role evolved to student needs. She emphasized the importance of being able to provide adequate support to the students they were servicing.

“At the end of the academic year, we sent out a survey and the hall staff working with us said that they felt unprepared when meeting with students facing mental health concerns,” says Barnett. “We realized that if students have these needs, we want someone fully prepared to meet with them.”

Barnett advocated for graduate assistants to help with student meetings and support. Today, the Care Coordinator leads a team of graduate students who manage reports related to students in need and follow up to connect them with appropriate campus resources.

Collaborating with partners across the university, they ensure that residential students receive access to support and resources. With nearly 16,000 students living on campus, there are many residents that may receive support from the RCCE Care Team. 

OSSA Case Managers

While Care Coordinators handle many cases within the residence halls, OSSA case managers provide additional support while managing their own cases as well. The OSSA Care Team received over 1,300 referrals from the campus community in their inaugural year last year. These referrals support faculty, staff and students. 

“REHS is one of our many big partners. If you live in the residence halls, there are a lot more touch points for people who might be experiencing some challenges,” says Associate Director for OSSA Josh Durbin. “They’re good at intervening and providing support, but there are some issues that don’t fall within the residential bucket, and that’s where we would pick up and help support them.”

The university has a public referral form that anyone within or outside of the campus community can fill out if they notice someone who may be a harm to themselves or others or could benefit from additional outreach and support. Barnett now reviews many of those said reports and meets with students based on their needs. 

“I do a lot of resource referral, helping students prioritize what they need and getting them connected to the right people. This can include housing, food, finances, academics, or mental health support,” says Barnett.

Once submissions are received, case managers assess each case using a rubric and determine the most helpful interventions. They then reach out to the students in need, working alongside other university offices to ensure students receive proper care and resources.

“We’re here to help in any way that we can,” says Durbin. “We are also here to help support faculty and staff as well.”

Collaboration Across Campus for Student Well-Being 

The case management approach for these two offices is focused on collaborations throughout the university. The OSSA case manager positions are funded through multiple partnerships outside of SLE, including Undergraduate Education and The Graduate School. 

“We also collaborate closely with our police officers as they’re often responding to students who are having mental health crises,” says Barnett “And our police department here on campus has a social worker, so we work closely with her to ensure that we are doing the best outreach that we can.”

The residential student care coordinator and OSSA case managers work together to navigate the cases that come through, ensuring students are connected to the appropriate resources on campus. Additionally, OSSA case managers work closely with an MSU police liaison, Detective Sydnee Zienta, who is assigned to their office. 

Whether it’s mental health support, basic needs like housing and food, or academic concerns, they collaborate with CAPS, MSU police and countless other departments.

Addressing Student Mental Health Post-Pandemic

Since the pandemic, MSU has seen a rise in student mental health concerns, with the most common challenges being stress, anxiety, sleep difficulties and depression, as reported by the 2024 National College Health Assessment (NCHA).

These concerns are more prominent among students of color and those from historically underrepresented communities, who may turn to frontline staff for support. However, recognizing that staff and faculty are not trained clinicians, MSU has prioritized providing resources such as Mental Health Frist Aid.

“Mental Health First Aid is an evidence-based, early-intervention course that teaches participants about mental health and substance use challenges,” says Director of MSU Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS) Swapna Hingwe. “The motto is ‘Identify, Understand, Respond.’ All these areas within MSU have identified trainers for the course and are working to train as many staff as possible in these skills.”

This training is part of a larger strategy involving SLE, CAPS and other university offices to support student well-being.

Accessing Support

To report a concern, there are two routes than can be taken:

• Residents are encouraged to speak with their community director first, as they may be able to provide more immediate support and resources.
• Students who live off-campus along with faculty, staff and members of the community can submit a Care Referral through the Care and Intervention Team. 

“Participating or responding outreach is voluntary,” Skinner adds. “The intention with these spaces is to build rapport, talk about the struggles or concerns that they’re having, and see what ways we can connect them to the appropriate resources, offices, or parties here at MSU to help them in their journey.”

While these positions provide support for students, they are not clinical. MSU Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS) offers 24/7 crisis services. If you need immediate support, call 517-355-8270 and press “1” to speak with a crisis counselor. For emergencies or welfare checks, call 911.

For more information, visit REHS at liveon.msu.edu/REHS-Care-Conduct or OSSA at ossa.msu.edu/cait. 

Author: Dani Del Castillo, student communications assistant