Welfare Intervention Network (WIN)

If it’s after-hours, and you think WIN needs information before the next business day, pass your information to Campus Safety (503-768-7777). For off-campus emergencies, also call 911 Emergency; Campus Safety cannot respond to off-campus incidents.

Report a Concerning Situation

What is WIN?

The Welfare Intervention Network, or WIN, is a dedicated team of Lewis & Clark professionals who collaboratively coordinate outreach efforts to help students, faculty, and staff who may be a potential health or safety risk to themselves or others. 

What values guide WIN?

We are committed to the development of a caring community for faculty, staff & students. To achieve this end, we want to provide community members with a clear way of facilitating a supportive and timely response to individuals at risk. We focus on collaboration and communication among all resources so that our intervention can be as effective as possible.

When would I pass information along to WIN?

Whenever there is potential for a threat to the health or safety of one of our community members (faculty, staff or student).  

Examples of situations where you could use WIN to keep our community safe include threats of suicide, risk of violence, substance abuse problems or eating disorders which endanger a person’s life, stalking, domestic violence, and other mental health problems (e.g., psychotic behavior).  Please note that if you or someone else is facing imminent risk, you should always contact Campus Safety immediately at (503) 768-7777.  For off-campus emergencies, also call 911 Emergency; Campus Safety cannot respond to off-campus incidents.  Sometimes people hesitate and wait until a situation has reached a state of crisis to tell anyone. There is no harm in expressing concern for a student, co-worker or colleague.  Contacting WIN early will provide time to develop the most helpful and thoughtful response. 

WIN distributes a Referral Guide to all Lewis & Clark employees to help answer this question. You can view a digital version here.  If you want a hard copy, please contact a member of WIN.

What are signs that a community member might pose harm to themselves or others?

There is no definitive list of signs. That being said, here are some things to look out for:

• dramatic mood changes
• withdrawal
• hopelessness
• recklessness
• anger or aggression
• significant anxiety or agitation
• purposelessness
• severe sleep problems
• feeling trapped
• self-injurious behavior
• lack of attention to personal hygiene
• a decline in academic or job performance
• or other significant behavior changes.

Other warning signs can be even more concerning, including comments or writing about death, dying, or suicide, giving away prized possessions, seeking access to the means of suicide, preoccupation with weapons, threats to others, out-of-control drinking behavior, and psychotic symptoms (loss of contact with reality). If you encounter a community member who exhibits any of these more concerning warning signs, you should always seek consultation.

How do I pass information to WIN? 

Report a Concerning Situation

You can also consult with any member of WIN.

• If it’s after-hours, and you think WIN needs information before the next business day, pass your information to Campus Safety (503-768-7777). For off-campus emergencies, also call 911 Emergency; Campus Safety cannot respond to off-campus incidents. 

What happens after I pass information along? 

After you submit a report, a member of WIN will contact you to consult about your concerns and appropriate next step.  As appropriate, WIN will appraise the situation, assess risk, and develop a response plan.  

Please note that if you have a health or safety concern for a student, and you would like a confidential psychological or health consultation, you can contact staff in the Counseling Service or Student Health Service for non-WIN consultation and support. 

Will the information I pass to WIN be held in confidence? 

WIN members will do all that we can to honor an individual’s request for privacy.  At the same time, we have an obligation to protect individuals and our community from harm. So at times, we may have to act on information we receive regardless of the preference of the individual who reports the information.  Some individuals might be reluctant to talk to WIN because they don’t want to get a person-at-risk into trouble;  WIN does not exist to get people into trouble.  WIN’s focus is on getting individuals and our community out of trouble related to potential health and safety risks.  

Who do I contact if I have further questions about the WIN program?

Feel free to contact any of the WIN members if you have further questions.