Spartan Support Network
Spartan Support Network brings students together with specific campus resources promoting academic success. It is an early warning student referral program supported by Peer Connections. This process will allow faculty and staff to refer students who need to connect to various student support services such as peer tutoring, peer mentoring, student workshops, academic advising (either to a GE advisor, major advisor, or to the appropriate student success center), and counseling. The early intervention is critical in assisting the student’s success, retention, and graduation.
Who should be referred to Spartan Support Network?
Any student who may be in need of academic or personal support would be a good candidate for referral. Referral reasons may include:
- Excessive class absences or tardiness
- Behavior which disregards the Student Code of Conduct
- Lack of participation
- Poor or a change in academic performance
- Personal concerns
- Health concerns
- Financial concerns
- Needs tutoring
- Needs mentoring
Who can make referrals to Spartan Support Network?
Referrals are accepted from university faculty, staff, and closely affiliated community members (e.g. parents, guardians). Students are encouraged to self-refer by coming to Peer Connections (http://peerconnections.sjsu.edu) if they feel they will benefit from Spartan Support Network services.
When can referrals be made?
Student referrals are accepted at any point during the semester. Referring students early in the semester allows Peer Connections professional staff member to establish a Student Success Plan with the student so that they can achieve their highest potential for the semester. Those students referred at the end of the semester will work with a Peer Connections staff member on establishing a Student Success Plan for the following semester.
How do I refer a student?
1. To make a referral to Spartan Support Network, you will need to use the Spartan Connect online system. If you have not received an invitation to activate your Spartan Connect account, please contact spartanconnect@sjsu.edu.
2. Sign in to Spartan Connect using your SJSU ID and password. When your home page loads, click on the Issue Notification link.
4. When the Issue Notification page loads, fill out the form. Enter either the student’s name or ID number.
5. Select a reason you would like to refer the student. Please choose the reason you feel is most important to the referral; you can put additional details in the comments to clarify if needed.
6. If this student is in one of your classes, you can choose the class from which you are referring.
7. Any additional comments are welcome so that we can better serve the student when we meet with them.
8. When you have filled out the form, click the blue Submit button in the lower right corner. You will see a confirmation that Spartan Connect has a Notification Issued.
9. The student will be assigned a contact who will reach out to the student and connect them with the appropriate resources. Once action has been taken with the student you will be notified; however, due to student privacy concerns, we will not be able to inform you about the action that has taken place or what was discussed with the student. You may ask the student directly if they are willing to share this information.
Will I know if the student has made a connection and what was discussed during the session?
A Peer Connections professional staff member will follow up with you via email to let you know when the student has had a meeting. Due to the student’s privacy, they will not inform you of what was discussed during the meeting or indicate any other offices to which the student was referred. You may ask the student directly to see if they are willing to share this information with you. If Peer Connections has difficulty setting up an appointment with the student, they will contact you.
Under certain circumstances, Peer Connections will refer the student to an appropriate unit such as Athletics, Educational Opportunity Program (EOP), or COSAC before meeting with that student. If this takes place, you will be notified that a referral was made to an appropriate unit.
How will students be informed of the Spartan Support Network program?
Faculty are encouraged to include information about Spartan Support Network in their course syllabus as well as announce their participation in class. We recommend this syllabus statement:
“Our campus has developed Spartan Support Network to bring students together with specific campus resources promoting academic success. I have agreed to participate in this program and may refer you to it if I believe you need the services provided by Spartan Support Network to succeed in this course.”
We are in process of developing more marketing materials to distribute to faculty, staff, and students.
How will a student know about the referral to Spartan Support Network?
Faculty and staff are encouraged to notify the student about the referral. From our experience the student is more open to accepting assistance if the faculty or staff has prepared them for the contact.
After the referral has been made, students receive an email and/or phone call from Peer Connections regarding their referral and asking them to set up a meeting to discuss the student's future success.
Can I refer a student multiple times?
Yes. If a student continues to demonstrate a need for academic or personal support, faculty and staff are encouraged to refer students again.
What happens after a referral is made?
Once a referral is generated, Peer Connections sends an email confirming the receipt of the student referral. Peer Connections then begins outreach to the student via email, informing the student of their referral and asking the student to contact Peer Connections to set up an appointment. If the student does not respond to the email within 48 hours, a Peer Connections professional staff member follows up with a phone call to the student.
What does a typical Spartan Support Network advising session look like?
During the initial meeting, the student discusses the reason for the referral. The student and the Peer Connections professional staff member then design a Student Success Plan to set the student on a path to success. Other campus resources may be recommended to support the student and their plan. The resources may include, but are not limited to: tutoring, mentoring, counseling, academic advising (both GE and major), and accessible education counseling.
How will student confidentiality be protected through Spartan Support Network?
Maintaining confidentiality is important to the Spartan Support Network program. Only the referring faculty/staff member, Peer Connections professional staff member, and any campus resources the student has been referred to will know of the referral. Spartan Support Network has permission to obtain information regarding student grades and class progress under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 34 CFR Part 99 (www.ed.gov).
How will faculty and staff benefit from participating in this program?
Spartan Support Network will promote a higher level of student engagement, with more motivated students who make better decisions related to their academic life. Engaged students are more likely to meet the course expectations set by instructors. Teaching students who demonstrate a genuine desire to learn and to be active members of the University community should produce a more satisfying and highly stimulating classroom environment for students and instructors alike. Students who are fully engaged in the campus community are more likely to persist and graduate.
In addition, many faculty and staff have mentioned how concerned they are about a particular student, but are unsure how to assist the student in all of their goals. By using Spartan Support Network, the faculty member or staff member can rely on another part of the university to focus on the student’s needs so that you can focus on your classes and your specific role on campus.
