ESF-18: Student and Community Crisis Support
Emergency Support Function 18: Student and Community Crisis Support
PURPOSE
ESF-18: Student and Community Crisis Support provides crisis support services to students and university community affected by a or incident.
CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS
Coordinating Unit: Office of the Dean of Students
Student Support and Advocacy Services, withing the Office of the Dean of Students has primary responsibility for coordinating student and community crisis response support for the Cornell community. For large scale crisis needs the Office of the Dean of Students will engage other units within Student and Campus Life (SCL) and determine the most appropriate SCL unit to provide additional crisis support services.
The office of the Dean of Students’ primary function is to support students impacted by a crisis event. When appropriate, they will also coordinate support for the broader Cornell Community, which can include faculty, staff, families, alumni, retirees, and volunteers.
Crisis response services may be required following personal, community, or widespread emergencies, incidents, and disasters that result in impact, such as loss of personal property, loss of housing, emotional or physical injury, and even death. Crisis response services include but are not limited to physical, emotional, financial, and academic support services.
ESF ACTIONS
Office of the Dean of Students
- Assessment of crisis support needs.
- Determine if other SCL units are needed to coordinate and support crisis support services
- Coordination of crisis support needs including:
- Provide direct support to individuals
- Provide support, resources, and management to other individuals and organizations providing crisis support services
- Evaluate the ongoing needs for those impacted
- Serve as the main point of contact for the families of impacted students.
- Liaison with external agencies providing crisis resources as needed.
- Delegate crisis response responsibilities to other SCL units as appropriate.
Cornell Health
- Coordination of clinical mental health services as outlined in ESF-9: Health Services.
Community Response Team
- Housed within the Division of Public Safety, serving as an alternate to law enforcement first responder providing non-clinical mental health support services.
- Provide extended campus support service availability during evening hours when other in-person mental health services are less accessible.
- Provide direct support, referral and resource navigation, to students, faculty, staff, and visitors located on Cornell’s main Ithaca campus.
- Support continuity of care for impacted individuals by engaging with university and external support service providers.