Each week we will bring you a short scenario to address issues that
you, your colleagues and students might face. How would you respond to
these scenarios? Would you file a report, or do something different?
Talk to your colleagues about these situations - the classroom should be
a safe learning environment for students AND instructors!
SCENARIO #7
Typically our scenarios describe a situation that you might encounter with a student in your class. What if you saw or heard something about a student or students you don’t know? Let’s say you are in line at the café on campus, waiting to pay for your lunch. There is a bit of a disturbance close by, so you turn to see what’s going on. Two students, a male and female who you’ve seen together on campus before and assume to be a couple, are having what appears to be a heated argument. You can’t really tell what it’s about, but the male student is making aggressive gestures and getting quite close to the female student. She is backing away but the male student continues to move closer to her, and all the while his voice is getting louder. You look around hoping that someone else will intervene, but everyone else seems to be looking away, not wanting to get involved. You are worried about the female student’s safety. What should you do?
Post your comments below!
If you'd like someone from the 5 Star Consortium to follow up with you regarding this scenario, please email
fivestarcolleges@gmail.com
Sometimes students share things with you because they see you as a trustworthy person and they are worried about a friend. They don’t know what to do about a situation so they come to you for help. A student in your class, Joe, tells you that his roommate, Ben, has become totally preoccupied with Sheila, a girl he’s interested in. Joe saw Ben going through Sheila's pictures on social media, and he always wants to eat at the restaurant where she works. Joe knows Sheila from a class they had together, and she has told him she is pretty uncomfortable with all the attention from Ben. The flowers and gifts she’s getting from Ben are nice, but she already has a boyfriend, and he’s getting jealous! She’s told Ben to back off, but he’s not listening. What advice should you give Joe - should he stay out of it, or should he talk to Ben about taking a step back from the situation?
