About the Dean-on-Call Program
One of the resources the University makes available to students is the support and guidance of a University administrator who is on-call and can be reached 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This administrator is called the Dean-on-Call.
The Dean-on-Call is the University official responsible for providing referrals, information, and support to students during an emergency. The Dean-on-Call intervenes at times to de-escalate a situation between students and other members of the campus and/or community, and works with University partners to coordinate the University’s response to ensure that students receive due consideration and fair treatment. The Dean-on-Call will monitor an incident to make sure that adequate support continues to be made available even after the incident passes.
The Dean-on-Call reports to the Director of UChicago HELP. The Dean-on-Call program is a collaborative effort between Campus and Student Life (CSL) and the University of Chicago Police Department (UCPD). UCPD provides dispatch and transportation services for the Dean-on-Call program, and often accompanies the Dean-on-Call when they respond to a student in person. The position requires flexibility to handle unpredictable situations including the ability to respond on nights and weekends.
Note: due to the nature of the work Deans-on-Call are asked to perform, any history of workplace misconduct makes an applicant ineligible for this position.
Principal Duties and Responsibilities
- Serves as a first responder from Campus and Student Life by being available on-site at emergency situations, high-profile or other significant campus events, and critical incidents involving students, within the University of Chicago Police Department patrol boundaries.
- Assists (either in person or by phone) in providing referrals, support and information to students during and after emergency situations, high-profile or other significant events, and critical incidents involving students.
- Participates in on-going professional development to remain current in responsibilities, policies, and procedures for responding to individual student critical incidents in the U.S. and abroad.
- Initiates a response to the situation and provides a description of the plan to the Director of UChicago HELP.
- Collaborates with appropriate University partners to respond to student emergencies including area Deans of Students, UCPD, Housing & Residence Life, and UChicago Student Wellness, as appropriate.
- Works at least two weekly rotations throughout each quarter.
- Manages confidential and sensitive information judiciously and with integrity, consistent with FERPA and University policies.
- Provides daily incident reports, via Maxient, summarizing Dean-on-Call activities.
Qualifications and Requirements
- Must have full support of supervisor.
- Must be an exempt (monthly) staff member.
- Experience in student affairs, preferably in student emergency management.
- Ability to manage stress and maintain personal and emotional stability, judgment and maturity in highly demanding situations.
- Ability to work effectively in and manage ambiguous or uncertain situations.
- Ability to think and respond to situations and questions quickly but accurately.
- Ability to listen carefully to all sides of a situation.
- Ability to be empathetic.
- Willingness to dedicate time and effort to outcomes that resolve the situation and may set precedent.
- Ability to handle varying and unpredictable workload (e.g. Phone calls about student emergencies may come at any time of the day or night, any day of the year and require immediate attention; Deans-on-Call may be required to accompany students at court appearances.)
- Demonstrated understanding of confidentiality and privacy, as well as knowledge of FERPA and HIPAA laws.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills.
- Demonstrated experience leading people or processes, managing programs, and resolving conflict.
- Has worked for the University of Chicago for at least one year prior to application.
Physical Demands
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
- Ability to be on-call for one-week period (168 consecutive hours) in addition to primary University position.
- Ability to travel to various on and off-campus locations any day of the week and any time of the day or night (transportation provided).
- Ability to respond to emergency situations immediately or as soon as possible.
The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of the work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not an exhaustive list of all duties and responsibilities associated with it.
If you have questions about the Dean-on-Call Program and/or the application process, please contact Belinda Cortez Vazquez, Associate Dean of Students in the University for Student Affairs and Director, UChicago HELP, at belinda@uchicago.edu.