Dean of Students

The Dean of Students Office offers support services for students.

Whether you’ve fallen a bit behind in your classes or just need someone to talk to, our resources can help put you on the right track.

Connect with the Dean of Students Office for supportive resources.

Services Offered

Counseling

Students have free, unlimited access to therapists and on-demand crisis counseling through The Virtual Care Group every day of the year, any time of day, free of charge.

The college has partnered with The Virtual Care Group to offer behavioral visits, life coaching, and on-demand crisis counseling online or by phone.

“Our role as a college is to support our students however we can, in and outside of the classroom,” President Michael Ash said. “We’re happy to be able to offer a service that will help our students emotionally when they need it most.”

Many students face personal challenges and don’t have the tools to work through them. As a result, they leave college, but their emotional struggles remain. Making counseling easily accessible can help students work on their mental health needs and achieve their academic goals.

The Virtual Care Group offers 50-minute sessions with licensed therapists, with no limit on how often students can use the service.

Campus Assessment, Response, and Evaluation Team (CARE Team)

The CARE team provides early assessment and referral when a student’s behavior is flagged as concerning, risky, or potentially harmful to self, others, or the community. The Team makes a good faith review of the information provided and suggests a reasonable course of action to mitigate risk, considering the needs of the individual within the context of the community. An ethic of care and attention to the safety and wellbeing of individual students, the campus and community guides all recommendations.

The Team makes every appropriate effort to help students persist at the college and navigate complex circumstances when “life happens”. The CARE Team relies on members of the Southeastern Community College community to share information when they observe student behavior that is concerning, risky, or potentially harmful. Please file a referral promptly so the Team can respond in a timely manner.

Even if you aren’t sure that a student’s situation merits a CARE referral, please err on the side of caution and let the Team know what you’ve observed. By doing so, the professionals on the CARE Team can assess the situation, piece together any other available information about the student’s situation, and respond appropriately.

Some things that may lead you to file a CARE referral include:
  • A student struggling with a difficult life circumstance or health issue
  • A student displaying unusual or out-of-character behavior
  • A student communicating thoughts of harm to self, others, or locations
  • A student experiencing significant loss such as death of a family member or loss of safe housing
  • A student communicating that they are the victim of harassment, stalking, interpersonal violence, or sexual assault
  • A student missing class for an extended period of time
  • A student is nonresponsive to outreach attempts
  • A student displaying unhealthy or dangerous patterns of behavior
  • A student experiencing a high level of stress
  • A student displaying behavior that is disruptive or negatively impacting the classroom or work environment
  • A student posting concerning messages on social media
  • A gut feeling that something is wrong

This list is not comprehensive. If you are worried about a student, please submit a CARE referral so the Team can assist.

If I file a CARE referral, what happens next?

A variety of actions may occur once a CARE referral has been filed. Based on the nature of the concern level of the referral, the student’s current or past behavior(s), and the context of what occurred, the following are possible next once the CARE Team has received a referral.

The CARE Team may:

  • Reach out to you to confirm the referral received and discuss next steps.
  • Research the situation to gather additional information to guide recommendations.
  • Provide education on how to assist the student (i.e. making a referral to a campus resource).
  • Reach out to the student directly to request a meeting.
  • Refer the situation to the Student Conduct process if appropriate. The CARE Team may provide consultation to the Student Conduct Office in these cases.
  • Share information with the police or applicable services/jurisdiction.
  • Monitor the student’s behavior for any trends/future behaviors.
  • Provide ongoing support for the student.

Other Services Offered

Student Assistance

The Dean of Students Office provides a variety of resources to help faculty and staff assist students and refer to appropriate resources. 
It may be helpful to talk one-on-one with the Dean of Students.

Make an Appointment  

CARE Referral

Emergencies

Dial 911 for emergencies or to report a crime in progress. Follow immediately with a call to Campus Security at (319) 759-1727.

Non-Emergencies

Contact the Dean of Students Office at (319)-208-5101 or file a CARE Referral.

Examples:

  • Personal concerns
  • Personal tragedy or significant event impacts a student’s ability to be successful
  • Multiple or particularly complex issues that impede a student’s success
  • Individual identifies oneself as having mental health concerns

Reach out to report or discuss a non-emergency concern about:

  • An employee: Contact Human Resources
  • A visitor: Contact Campus Security
  • A student: Complete the CARE Referral Form

Contact Campus Security or the Dean of Students if you witness criminal activity or are the victim of a crime on Southeastern Community College property or at a SCC sponsored event. You can file an incident report to alert campus authorities.

Student Conduct

Southeastern Community College has established standards of behavior that apply to all credit and non-credit students (past, present, and prospective) as well as any visitors to SCC. These standards are set forth as regulations in this Student Code of Conduct document.

The Student Code of Conduct applies to conduct that occurs on the College campuses or at any other property or facility used by Southeastern Community College for educational or extra-curricular purposes or at any college-sponsored program or activity. 

The Student Code of Conduct provides a system of checks and balances to ensure due process for persons who believe their rights have been violated. Additionally, the Student Code of Conduct seeks to provide due process for those persons who are accused of violating the rights of others. 

The final authority regarding all disciplinary cases processed under this Student Code of Conduct rests with the College President.

Sexual Misconduct

Members of the college community, guests and visitors have the right to be free from all forms of sex/gender harassment, discrimination and misconduct, examples of which can include acts of sexual violence, sexual harassment, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. All members of the campus community are expected to conduct themselves in a manner that does not infringe upon the rights of others.

SCC believes in zero tolerance for sex/gender-based misconduct. Zero tolerance means that when an allegation of misconduct is brought to an appropriate administrator’s attention, protective and other remedial measures will be used to reasonably ensure that such conduct ends, is not repeated, and the effects on the victim and community are remedied, including serious sanctions when a responding party is found to have violated College policy. Equal Opportunity, Harassment, and Nondiscrimination Policy for All Students, Employees and Third-Parties: Policy and Procedures (Administrative Guideline 906) has been developed to reaffirm these principles and to provide recourse for those individuals whose rights have been violated. This policy is intended to define community expectations and Southeastern Community College’s procedures to establish a mechanism for determining when those expectations have been violated.

The Title IX Coordinator and Deputy Title IX Coordinators can be contacted during regular office hours.
Title IX Coordinator and Deputy Title IX Coordinators

Title IX Coordinator:

Dave Haden  
Dean of Students 
Student Affairs Office
West Burlington 109M
(319) 208-5101
dhaden@scciowa.edu

 

Deputy Coordinators:

Kari Bevans
Director of Keokuk Campus
Admissions and Testing
(319) 313-1928
kbevans@scciowa.edu

Melissa Flores
Student Activities Director
West Burlington 356
(319) 208-5021
mflores@scciowa.edu

 

Laurie Hempen
Director of Human Resources
West Burlington 114
(319) 208-5063
lhempen@scciowa.edu

Dennis Marino
Registrar
Student Support Center
West Burlington EN2
(319) 208-5022
dmarino@scciowa.edu

Faculty & Staff Tips & Resources

As you interact with students, situations or conversations may come about which cause you concern. Often, you will be the first person to realize students need assistance. We encourage you to utilize your relationships with students to help them find the answers or help they need.

Helpful Tips
  • If appropriate, contact students directly if you have concerns.
  • Speak to students privately and in person when appropriate and possible.
    • Share with the student that you are concerned about their well-being.
    • See if the student is willing to share information that will allow you to appropriately provide support resources with them.
    • If appropriate, let the student know that you will be sharing information about the student with the Dean of Students Office/CARE Team.
    • If student behavior is not appropriate, set clear expectations moving forward and communicate consequences if the behavior continues.
  • Depending on their situation, refer students to the appropriate resources on or off campus.
  • The Dean of Students Office can help! If you are unsure of the best way to help students, then we can accept referrals or consult in person, by phone call or e-mail about how you best serve each unique student to address concerns or situations.
Reporting non-emergency concerns about students

Faculty, staff, students, or others who are concerned about the behavior of a student, the well-being of a student, or academic concerns are encouraged to complete the CARE Referral Form.

Confidentiality laws do not prevent you from reporting the concern. A student of concern may struggle in such areas as psychological health, physical health, victimization, relationship issues, social adjustment, and academics. Changes in a student’s habits, attitude, and behavior can be a sign that a student might need extra attention or help.

If you are reporting academic concerns, please try to reach out to the student before completing the CARE Referral Form.

Why make a referral?

The academic experience combined with personal struggles can often cause students to be distressed. Identifying and referring a student in distress so they can get help can be an important step to maintaining their academic success.

  1. Early intervention means rapid solutions: Often, a quick response to provide a distressed student with timely resources will ensure that the student remains successful academically. Late intervention often involves missed classes, isolation from friends and family, possible withdrawals, or late drops and an overall interruption in the student’s experience.
  2. Connecting the dots: The Dean of Students Office receives reports of student concerns from faculty, staff, students, and community members (including parents and family). We are able to take concerns that are shared and help to connect students with appropriate on campus and off-campus resources and support.
  3. We care, you care: Making a referral shows that you care about the success of the student to get the help the students needs. It means you are not prepared to let a student fall through the cracks.
  4. It might be required: Under certain circumstances, faculty and staff are obligated to report acts of violence and other threatening behaviors.

SCC Non-Discrimination Statement

It is the policy of the Southeastern Community College not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, employment, sexual orientation, gender identity, creed, religion, and actual or potential family, parental, or marital status in its program, activities, or employment practices.

If you have questions or complaints related to compliance with this policy, please contact the Director of Human Resources (employment concerns) at (319) 208-5063 or the Vice President of Student Affairs (student concerns) at (319) 208-5049, 1500 West Agency Road, West Burlington, Iowa 52655, equity@scciowa.edu or the Director of the Office for Civil Rights U.S. Department of Education, John C. Kluczynski Federal Building, 230 S. Dearborn Street, 37th Floor, Chicago, IL 60604-7204, Telephone: (312) 730-1560 Facsimile: (312) 730-1576, TDD (800) 877-8339 Email: OCR.Chicago@ed.gov.

Nondiscrimination statement is pursuant to requirement by Iowa Code §§ 216.6 and 216.9, Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. §§ 2000d and 2000e), the Equal Pay Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. § 206, et seq.), Title IX (Educational Amendments, 20 U.S.C. §§ 1681 – 1688), Section 504 (Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794), and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. § 12101, et seq.).

Contact Us

Dave Haden
Dean of Students
Call: (319) 208-5101
Text: (319) 208-5101
Email: dhaden@scciowa.edu