CougarsCARE stands for Cougars Campus Awareness Response and Evaluation. 奥古斯塔理工学院的CougarsCARE是一个由员工组成的多学科团队, faculty, and law enforcement officials that proactively responds to situations that may pose a threat to the safety of the Augusta Tech community.

CougarsCARE handles a range of issues, including:

• mental health concerns
• threatening or violent behaviors
• substance use issues
• suicide risk or suicidal ideation
• stalking or harassing behaviors
• relationship problems affecting school or work
• or other concerns.

Members of the Augusta Tech community can report a concern about themselves or another student or staff member who might benefit from support by filling out a CougarsCARE Incident Report Form.

When a report is received, the CougarsCARE team conducts a professional assessment to help understand each person’s individual need and to evaluate risk levels when a person’s behavior may endanger their own or others’ health and safety. After each report has been evaluated, the CougarsCARE team implements a timely intervention specifically tailored to address the needs of the individuals involved. CougarsCARE致力于确保奥古斯塔理工学院的学生, 教职员工可以尽快获得他们需要的特定资源.

• 在对自己和/或他人造成迫在眉睫的伤害威胁的情况下，保护奥古斯塔科技社区
• Assist Augusta Tech faculty, 教职员和学生在识别一个人的行为信号可能是痛苦的, disruptive, 和/或解除管制，从而对自己或他人构成潜在风险
• Centralize the process of collecting and assessing concerns as they are documented by different sources within the college before a crisis
• Provide structured guidance and support for any member of the campus community who reports disruptive and/or problematic behaviors that might lead to aggression or self-harm
• Develop a coordinated plan to help a student, 处于危机中的教职员工，以减轻风险, facilitate early intervention, and protect and maintain campus safety
• Coordinate follow-up with the student, 教师和/或工作人员确保推荐的服务, support, and resources are deployed effectively
• Balance FERPA, HIPAA, 以及奥古斯塔科技公司的知情权和紧急通讯需求带来的个人隐私问题 

Augusta Tech’s CougarsCARE assists faculty, 员工和学生如何处理一个人表现出破坏性的情况, threatening or distressed behavior.

The CougarsCARE team examines reports of distressing situations to evaluate risk levels and identify persons whose behavior may endanger their own or others’ health and safety. CougarsCARE meets, as needed, 回顾和分析信息，以满足学生的需求, 有严重行为障碍的教职员工.

CougarsCARE:

• Responds to reports of behavioral risk or threat by formally assessing whether a person poses a risk to self or others
• 对暴力情况的应对提出建议, threatening behavior, unwanted pursuit, or harassment
• 提供对学生、教职员工有帮助的资源信息
• Identifies resources for troubled students and personnel and makes referrals to appropriate campus and off-campus agencies
• 调查每一种情况，并建议适当转介给学生事务处, Human Resources or Augusta Tech Police that may lead to ongoing monitoring and observation of behavior patterns which may result in suspension, dismissal, termination of employment, or filing of criminal charges
• Regularly reviews outcomes of actions taken by the CougarsCARE team to ensure that the proper actions have been taken to address each situation effectively

CougarsCARE does not adjudicate, 对校园社区的任何成员进行纪律处分或实施制裁, nor does it provide or mandate treatment and, therefore, is not a disciplinary body.

经历心理或情绪困扰的人可能不会直接表达自己的感受, but they will usually exhibit behaviors that are out of the ordinary and/or considered socially inappropriate or strange. Use of drugs or alcohol may also mirror these symptoms and the distressed person will still benefit from intervention.

Individuals who are in distress are at greater risk of suicide especially when behaviors are new or have increased, often in response to a recent painful event, including loss or changes.

• 重复或过度扰乱课堂秩序(敌对或对抗行为)
• Inappropriate or exaggerated emotional responses to a given situation including lack of emotional response to a stressful situation
• 失去与现实的联系，包括胡言乱语或语无伦次, laughter that is out of context, visual, tactile or auditory hallucinations
• Significant decline in academic performance
• 经常试图推迟考试或延长应交作业的时间
• Observable or disturbing change in interaction patterns in the class (when it is linked with other concerning behaviors)

• 对大学官员、职员、教员或管理人员的极端粗鲁或不服从
• Repeated or excessive classroom disruption
• 在校园内醉酒或受违禁药物影响
• 威胁性言语或行为(直接威胁其他学生或教职员工)
• Writings that convey clear intentions to harm self or others (in academic assignments or on social media)
• 观察到自残行为，如割伤、烧伤、饮食失调等.
• Online postings in social media such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, SnapChat, blogs, websites, e-portfolios, class journals, etc. that involve direct and explicit threats
• Suicidal behavior, including threats (“I am going to kill myself”), gestures (pointing a finger to the head to indicate shooting) expressions of suicidal ideation (“I’ve always thought about killing myself by taking pills”), or documented suicide attempts
• 由仇恨或歧视引起的行为或公开表达
• 偏执狂或妄想(学生毫无根据地认为他们是目标)
• Stalking a staff member or another student
• Intimate partner violence
• Hazing
• Flat affect or emotional numbness
• "意外"过量，包括所有因无反应性中毒而非自愿住院

• Before submitting a report, faculty, staff and students may consult with a member of the Augusta Tech CougarsCARE to discuss their concern. 然而，在咨询之后，可能仍然需要填写一份报告表格.
• The person who submits the information will receive an acknowledgement from the CougarsCARE team confirming the appropriate response has been or is being made.
• Faculty and staff submitting a report should not expect detailed information about the disposition of their submission because the issue may involve due process or confidentiality rights of the student.
• 当出现新的问题或行为重复时，教职员工应提交额外的报告, even if they have done so before. A single incident may be insufficient to take action, 但这种事件模式可能需要制度性的回应.

A person in distress has a right to privacy. In most situations, information provided by the person reporting a concern is confidential and is only released with that person’s permission.

书面记录，包括学生行为报告，受 Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Except in extraordinary circumstances, 发布这些信息必须得到学生的书面许可.

FERPA does permit the release of information when necessary to protect the health or safety of the student or others.

当一个人对自己或他人构成迫在眉睫的危险时, it is both permissible and crucial to notify the Augusta Tech Campus Police (和/或拨打911)和学生的紧急联系人.

你是否担心奥古斯塔科技社区中某人的健康或安全? Let the CougarsCARE team know how we can help.