By Abigail Gan | Staff Writer
On the second floor of the McLane Student Life Center, across from the rock wall, a team unknown to much of Baylor’s student population is hard at work. Enter through the door that says “Department of Student Care and Well-Being” to find the 2022 BaylorPLUS Salute Award Team winner who went above and beyond for the Baylor Family.
The CARE Team is a group of professionals “who help connect students with solutions to challenges they face through resources both on and off campus.”
Megan Becker, director of Student Care and Well-Being, said when she was hired in 2017, there was only one case manager. As mental health needs increased, Baylor hired more case managers until it eventually established the official department in December 2019. Then, from 2021 to 2022, there was a 41% increase in students served.
Shannon Farquhar-Caddell, case manager for student care and outreach, said the CARE Team’s goal is to advocate for and support students who are going through difficult things.
“That could be a wide variety of things — from a breakup from a hard relationship, to the loss of a family member, to discovering that you may have cancer, got into a car accident or are having thoughts about suicide,” Farquhar-Caddell said. “We come alongside that student. We advocate for them. We support them when we get them connected to long-term support and resources and whatever that might look like. And then we follow up with them to make sure that they still have everything that they need and don’t need anything else moving forward.”
Becker said assisting students well requires collaboration across campus.
“As a team, we are … very cohesive and work well together,” Becker said. “With the individual students, we have to work well with everybody all over campus because of the different connections and partnerships.”
Farquhar-Caddell said the CARE Team doesn’t always get to see the full recovery or the results of its work.
“We are kind of that meaty in the middle of the crisis, and then kind of getting them connected to long-term support,” Farquhar-Caddell said. “What we do in those intense moments has been having an impact on the long term with other people in the campus community and then also with students.”
Farquhar-Caddell said the CARE Team is trusted by its campus partners and is asked for advice and feedback. Through everything, she said members try to aid students and put their needs first.
“I think we do a lot of work behind the scenes,” Farquhar-Caddell said. “ And not only do we collaborate really well together as a unit, but we are constantly trying to help other departments out with students that cross over into their areas and make sure that those students are getting plugged in. And a lot of times, we are dealing with parents that are really overwhelmed and frustrated. We really trust each other and know that each of us is not only paying attention but also doing the best that they can for each student.”
According to the CARE Team’s website, members are available 24/7 at 254-710-2100 or on the second floor of the SLC. Referrals for students can also be made online.
