Emily Merchant of Science and Technology Studies was in her first quarter of teaching here last fall and wasn’t sure what to do. A transfer student had stopped coming to class and was not responding to email. Earlier in the quarter, when the student failed to turn in the first assignment, the assistant professor had reached out. They’d met and worked out a plan to get the student back on track. Merchant had referred her to campus resources that could help. But now what?

Merchant didn’t give up. She sought advice from staff and completed a public care report to ask Student Support and Judicial Affairs to check on her student. “We care about our students and want them to succeed,” Merchant said. Soon, she heard back that her student was getting the help she needed.

Said the student, who has resumed her studies: “That wellness check helped get me out of that funk and pointed me in the right direction for a fresh start.” Merchant went “above and beyond her job description,” the student added. “I really couldn’t thank her enough.”