When to Refer
A referral is appropriate when a student needs help beyond the immediate conversation, when an issue affects attendance or performance, or when the employee is not the right person to resolve the question.
Referrals should be made with care. Students should understand why the referral is being suggested and what kind of help the receiving office can provide.
- Repeated absences or sudden disengagement.
- Missing assignments, failing quizzes, or confusion about course expectations.
- Program, prerequisite, schedule, or transfer questions.
- Records, forms, account, or enrollment concerns.
- Wellness, basic needs, safety, conduct, or urgent support concerns.
Academic Referrals
Academic concerns may be routed to tutoring, writing support, math help, library research support, ESL support, or advising depending on the problem. Faculty should tell students which assignment, skill, or course issue prompted the referral.
Advising Referrals
Advising is appropriate for program requirements, course sequence, placement, prerequisite planning, transfer timelines, schedule concerns, and questions about changing academic direction.
Student Services Referrals
Student services can help with enrollment verification, records questions, schedule changes, forms, college communication, general routing, and questions that do not clearly belong to a single office.
Care and Wellness Concerns
When students describe personal, family, food, housing, transportation, health, or wellness challenges affecting college participation, employees should refer to student services or the designated care process rather than trying to solve the issue alone.
Safety and Urgent Situations
Immediate safety concerns should be reported through the appropriate emergency or campus safety channel. Employees should not delay urgent reporting while searching for a routine referral path.
Documentation and Follow-Up
Employees should document referrals according to college practice when a concern is serious, repeated, or part of an academic support pattern. Follow-up should be respectful and focused on whether the student was able to connect with help.
Referral Routing Guide
This guide helps employees identify a reasonable first referral point. Offices may redirect students when another service is more appropriate.
| Concern | Suggested Referral | Helpful Context |
|---|---|---|
| Course concepts, writing, math, or study skills | Tutoring and learning support | Assignment, course, deadline, and instructor feedback |
| Program, prerequisite, transfer, or schedule planning | Academic advising | Program goal, current schedule, records if available |
| Records, forms, enrollment changes, or verification | Student services | Student ID, form, deadline, and related messages |
| Research, citation, databases, or technology | Library and technology support | Prompt, source needs, device or account issue |
| Safety, conduct, or urgent concern | Campus safety or administration | Immediate facts, location, and urgency |