• Dean of Students Office
• Student Success Team

Student Success Team

The Student Success Team (SST) is a group of administrators in the Division of Student Affairs who are charged with identifying, assessing, and supporting students who are distressed or experiencing trouble adjusting to the demands of being a student. The team is comprised of the vice president for student affairs/dean of students, the associate and assistant deans, the director of counseling, and the director for student advocacy and accountability.

The SST is committed to educating the campus community on constructive ways to obtain support for students of concern by promoting the Culture of Care. Through the combined efforts of the SST and informed members of the College community, students are supported in a comprehensive and caring way.

The goals of the SST include:

• To balance the educational needs of the student and the mission of the college
• To intervene early and provide support and behavioral response to students displaying varying levels of distress
• To respond with support whenever possible and to pursue conduct action for disruptive behavior as a secondary or last resort.
• To gather accurate, individualized assessment of the potential for violent, homicidal and/or suicidal behaviors while avoiding stigmatizing mental health issues and stereotype-based profiling
• To rely on a protocol of instructions for communication, coordination of support services, and intervention
• To balance FERPA, HIPAA, and California State Privacy Law with college administrators' need-to-know and protocols for campus safety and emergency communication
• To centralize collection and assessment of "red flags" raised by student behavior and to connect  disparate accounts of problematic behaviors exhibited by individual students
• To coordinate timely follow-up to ensure that services, support, and resources are deployed effectively
• To coordinate psychological assessment, conduct actions, disability services accommodations, hospitalization and/or medical leave/withdrawal, as needed, and to ensure continuity of care

At times, students may need to take some time away from Occidental for personal or health related reasons. The SST members can assist students with the College's process for students who are withdrawing from or temporarily leaving the institution.