Kalamazoo College has had an Early Alert system in place since 1996. If faculty or academic advisors have concerns about a student’s or advisee’s academic progress or they seem particularly disengaged, please submit an Early Alert at any time during the term; “use it early and often” is our motto. Alerts are confidential to the Early Alert Committee and the academic advisor of the student.
Students reported may show some of the following symptoms: poor attendance or participation; missed assignments or tests; chronic lateness or sleeping in class; signs of emotional or physical distress; disruptive classroom behavior; chronic unavailability for advising appointments; unresponsiveness; and so on. Academic difficulty may not be limited to failing grades; a student may be passing a course, but nevertheless appear detached or exhibit other worrisome behaviors. A grade of D or F in coursework should be an automatic trigger of concern. When in doubt, you should alert students about whom you are concerned, even if you are following up yourself. Also remember that students may need more than one alert. If you see no change in progress/behavior over the course of a week or two, please submit another alert.
Advisors are notified immediately via email of any reports regarding their advisees. We expect that advisors respond promptly by meeting with the advisee to help them assess the problem, see what changes might be made, and refer them to resources as needed. More detailed information on responding to, submitting Early Alerts, and what makes a helpful alert can be found here.
NOTES:
Do not include any other specific student names in your alert, except the student you are alerting, for privacy reasons.
Reports of possible academic dishonesty should go directly to Adam Kubiak in Student Development, rather than to Early Alert.
Early Alert Committee Role
The Early Alert Committee meets weekly each term during Weeks 2-9 to review every report submitted, determine if there might be a larger problem, and make plans for follow-up, if needed. The Committee includes staff from the offices of Advising, Registrar, Student Development, Counseling Center, Athletics, and Financial Aid.
If a student has been reported more than one time for the same course, for more than one course, or is showing signs or symptoms of trouble in other areas, a member of the Committee attempts to reach out to the advisor and/or student directly.
When students have been reported more than one time for the same course, a member of the Committee will also aim to be in communication with the reporter, but please keep in mind due to student privacy issues, the amount of information they will be able to share may be limited.
Questions?
Contact Lesley Clinard, Chair of the Early Alert Committee