What is The AWARE Team?
The Aware Team is a multidisciplinary campus-based support team committed to promoting student well-being, academic success, and campus safety. The team provides a supportive response when concerns arise about a student’s well-being, behavior, or safety, with an emphasis on early intervention and coordinated support.
The Aware Team works collaboratively to understand each situation and connect students with appropriate campus and community resources. Through individualized support, referrals, and follow-up, the team helps students navigate challenging circumstances and access the resources they need to thrive.
Have a Concern? Make an Incident Report
Ivy Tech provides a centralized reporting process for students, faculty, staff, and other members of the college community to share concerns about a student’s well-being, behavior, safety, or circumstances that may impact their success.
Sharing a concern allows the appropriate college team to better understand the situation, connect students with supportive resources, and coordinate assistance when needed. If you are concerned about a student or have observed an incident that may require support, please submit an incident report.
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Ryan Drake, Director of Student Accountability and Title IX
Role: I support the college’s processes related to personal misconduct, academic misconduct, and Title IX concerns, helping ensure matters are addressed in accordance with Ivy Tech’s Code of Student Rights & Responsibilities.
Why Aware is important to me: Aware brings together professionals from across the college to share information, identify concerns early, and work collaboratively toward positive outcomes for students and the campus community.
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Juanita Granger, Academic Advisor
Role: I am Juanita Granger and I am an academic advisor for the school of Information Technology (SOIT).
Why Aware is important to me: Aware is important to me, because it gives me an chance to understand what our students are going through, and try to assist the best I can so, they can continue to succeed in their academic career.
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Amber Jones, Resource Coach – IvyCares
Role: I am the Resource Coch for IvyCares and in my role I help support students with basic needs.
Why Aware is important to me: I think the Aware team is important because we are a team with all different perspectives that can work together to devise a plan that can supports students in need!
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Michael Baumann, Department Chair, General Studies and Liberal Arts
Role: I am the Department Chair for General Studies, Liberal Arts, & IVYT.
Why Aware is important to me: Connecting with colleagues on the Aware Team teaches me new ways to support students, and it's comforting to witness community concerns being handled with compassion, justice, and proficiency.
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Jordan Snoddy, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Student Success
Role: My name is Jordan Snoddy, and I am the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Success and Advocacy at the Indianapolis campus. I am also a licensed mental health counselor. In my role, I oversee the Counseling Center, Disability Support Services, IvyCares, and incident reporting. I also chair the Aware team.
Why Aware is important to me: The Aware team is important to me because it provides a proactive and collaborative way to identify students who are experiencing significant challenges that may impact their safety, well-being, or academic success. Through this collaborative approach, we are able to assess individual needs and connect students with appropriate support while helping promote campus safety.
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Cruz Medina-Ochoa, Mental Health Counselor
Role: I am a Mental Health Counselor who provides free individual counseling to students. I help students address challenges related to their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that may be affecting their well-being or academic success.
Why Aware is important to me: Aware brings together perspectives from across the college, allowing us to stay informed about concerns across campus and collaborate to better understand and respond to situations.
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Tai Jackson, Assistant Director Disability Support Services
Role: The Assistant Director of Disability Support Services supports students with disabilities by ensuring they have equitable access to education and appropriate academic accommodations.
Why Aware is important to me: Aware is important to me because it allows for an unbiased perspective on a situation, which can help prevent misunderstandings. It also allows others on the team to share their insights and perspectives, providing viewpoints that I may not have considered.
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Chuck Owen, Public Safety Director
Role: As the Public Safety Director for the Ivy Tech Indianapolis service area, I bring 25 years of public safety experience across diverse roles, including the last 13 years dedicated to our college.
Why Aware is important to me: Integrating Public Safety into the Aware team is vital for addressing student-related concerns. Resolving the college’s most complex challenges requires a collaborative, multi-perspective approach involving multiple departments. Ultimately, our partnership with the Aware team is essential to fulfilling the college’s mission of maintaining a safe, secure, and welcoming campus environment for everyone.
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Sabrina Klaker, Accounting Specialist
Role: I am an Accounting Specialist with the Bursar office, my primary job is to assist students in regards to their account balances.
Why Aware is important to me: The Aware team is important to me because hearing students voices is part of keeping the school running smoothly. I want to make sure that students feel safe in their learning environment and that their issues are addressed to the full extent.