About the CARE Team
CARE stands for Campus Assessment, Response, and Evaluation. The goal of the CARE Team is to create a culture of care on the Phoenix campus where individuals in distress receive appropriate support in a timely manner. The CARE Team is comprised of representatives from each academic program along with supportive offices on campus.
Background
The tragedy that occurred on the Virginia Tech campus in 2007 prompted a major shift in how Higher Education gathers and responds to concerning and/or threatening behavior. The Virginia Tech report indicated that while several people on campus were aware of concerning behaviors by the shooter, effective and coordinated intervention did not occur.
In hopes of avoiding future tragedies, many campuses formed and trained teams with varying names: BIT (Behavioral Intervention Team), BAT (Behavioral Assessment Team), or CARE (Campus Assessment, Response, and Evaluation) Teams are the most common. Depending on the size of the campus, these teams often include 6-12 standing members from several offices including: Student Conduct, Campus Police, Counseling, Legal, Residence Life, Disability Services, Title IX, Human Resources, Academic. Teams exist to identify direct members of the community (students, faculty, staff) who are exhibiting concerning behaviors or are experiencing difficult life circumstances. Interventions as well as supports are identified and implemented. These teams do not have any disciplinary authority. Threat assessment/risk assessment for potential violence may also occur. A case management approach often occurs.