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• Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL)
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The Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL)

The Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL) is a partnership among the Office of the Dean of Students, the Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC), the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and the University of Texas Police Department (UTPD). The purpose of this service is to provide University of Texas at Austin faculty, students and staff an opportunity to discuss their concerns about another individual’s behavior. Trained staff members will assist the caller in exploring available options and strategies. They will also provide appropriate guidance and resource referrals to address the particular situation. Depending on the situation, callers may be referred to resources including but not limited to the Office of the Dean of Students/Student Emergency Services, Counseling and Mental Health Center, and the Employee Assistance Program.

If callers choose to remain anonymous, they may do so. Cases that present an immediate threat to self, others or property should be considered an emergency and should be directed to the University of Texas Police Department (UTPD) by calling 911.

Why Should I Call the Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL)?

An important way for the university community to feel connected is to create opportunities for caring and concern. BCAL provides a central resource to anyone who is concerned about an individual and may not be sure about how best to help them. By calling BCAL, campus and community support networks may be accessed, optimizing the chance that individuals will receive needed assistance. Call BCAL if you are concerned about someone and want to help.

Examples of situations in which faculty, students or staff may need advice include:

• A faculty member may come across an essay containing comments that suggest a student is experiencing serious emotional issues.
• A student may be concerned that she has not seen or heard from her roommate in over a week during a busy time in the semester.
• A staff member may be unsure of the appropriate protocol after hearing rumors about potentially volatile comments made by another employee.
• Students may notice that their teaching assistant’s behavior is unpredictable—sometimes the TA does not show up for class, is perhaps not making much sense during lectures, or the TA seems to have stopped caring about his appearance. Students in the class are concerned about the TA and they don’t want him to lose his job.
• A student may appear to be distressed in class and her behavior is somewhat out of the ordinary.
• A student in a study group may not be acting like himself.
• A staff member notices that a co-worker has been yelling at people and seems angry all the time.

Individuals may feel a need to talk to someone and explore their concerns about these or similar situations. The Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL) can help.