Student Wellness & EECS Advising

Indicators of Stress

While GSIs are by definition students, in the GSI role, you must exercise authority over your own students through classroom management, setting assignments, grading, and other instructional activities. This means that if and when you recognize any indicators of academic, physical, psychological, or safety risks amongst your students (and possibly your course staff), the GSI is not an informal confidant or active bystander, but a Responsible Employee.

Indicators of stress are identified into four categories:

  • Sudden decline in quality of work and grades
  • Repeated absences
  • Disorganized performance
  • Multiple requests for extensions
  • Overly demanding of faculty’s or staff’s time and attention
  • Bizarre content in writings or presentations
  • You find yourself providing more personal than academic support

  • Marked changes in physical appearance (e.g., grooming or hygiene deterioration, weight loss/gain)
  • Excessive fatigue or sleep disturbance
  • Intoxication, hangovers, or smelling of alcohol
  • Disoriented or “out of it”
  • Garbled, tangential, disconnected, or slurred speech
  • Behavior is out of context or bizarre
  • Delusions and paranoia

  • Self-disclosure of personal distress (e.g., family or financial problems, grief, suicidal thoughts)
  • Unusual/disproportionate emotional response to events
  • Excessive tearfulness or panic reactions
  • Irritability or unusual apathy
  • Verbal abuse (e.g., taunting, badgering, intimidation)
  • Concern from peers

  • Unprovoked anger or hostility
  • Physical violence (e.g., shoving, grabbing, assault, use of weapons)
  • Implying or making direct threat to harm self or others
  • Academic assignments dominated by themes of extreme hopelessness, rage, worthlessness, isolation, despair, acting out, suicidal ideations/violent behaviors
  • Stalking or harassing
  • Communicating threats

Supporting Students

There are safeguards that go along with instructional authority to protect both GSIs and students, and it’s important to understand their obligations under those policies and laws, and know how to respond either to incidents or to student reports of distress. An immediate response may prevent the situation from escalating and may help lead to a prompt resolution.

In the event of an incident, campus officials strongly suggest responding as soon as possible to conduct that is clearly reckless, disorderly, dangerous, or threatening and suggestive of immediate harm to self or others in the community (see list below).

If someone informs you in the course of your GSI work that they have been the target of distress and/or unwanted attention, you are expected to immediately report it to the appropriate authority:

  • Call 911 for immediate response or UCPD dispatch at (510) 642-3333 for emergency assistance if there is an immediate threat of further harm.
  • Report the concern to CSI and Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at (510) 642-9494 during business hours, and call the After Hours Assistance Line at (855) 817-5667 after hours and holidays.
  • The Title IX Officer at the Office for the Prevention of Harrassment and Discrimination (510-643-2985 or ask_ophd@berkeley.edu).

If you are not sure whether a situation warrants reporting, such that indicators of distress are observed but severity is unclear, or if a student complains about your behavior and the situation is unclear to you, seek clarification with one of the offices on campus that provide confidential consultation (see list below).

If there is no immediate concern for the student’s immediate safety, BUT they are having significant academic and/or personal issues and could use some support, refer to appropriate campus resource using the detailed list below:

Please refer to the campus wide Gold Folder and download the Gold Folder PDF to utilize it as an immediate resource to help you recognize potential symptoms of distress and identify appropriate campus resources to refer students to. You will also find the Mental Heath Handbook, a comprehensive resource and guide for faculty, staff and GSIs.

Wellness & Advising from EECS

As a TA, you’re a student too! As a head TA, you’re still a student! You have a responsibility to yourself, and your friends and family just like you do to your students. Do not forget that it is perfectly OK to say “No” when you are unable to complete a task or to ask for help if you feel like you are “in over your head”. It’s better to be honest, than to end up being stressed or avoiding your own school work.

If you feel like you need coaching or you start to feel that you can’t cope with the situation, whether it’s related to your assigned teaching course, your own coursework, relationships, or the general situation we’re all facing now, the EECS department is here here to help:

  • For support in course-related logistics and administration, student cases regarding accommodations or student conduct, or if you’re looking for coaching, training and review in pedagogy, please contact eecs-course-management@eecs.berkeley.edu.
  • For academic advising and resources related to your career goals, please contact an advising team member at the EECS Center for Student Affairs.
  • For mental health related counciling, support in basic needs, undocumented student support, or other concerns, please visit our In Times of Stress page for more information.
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