Job Details

Internship Opportunity at Student Care and Advocacy

The office of Student Care and Advocacy has openings for a part-time or full-time, undergraduate or graduate intern designed to provide students with hands-on learning experiences. The Student Care & Advocacy case management intern serves as a support for the case management team in addressing unforeseen student situations such as complex behavioral and/or psychological challenges, social or adjustment problems, academic related challenges, and financial insecurity.

The Case Management intern will triage calls and emails, and provide resources, advocacy, and support to members of the university community across a broad spectrum of issues and concerns.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Case Management Support
• Triage calls and/or emails and assign cases in case management system.
• Provide appropriate referrals and resources, including but not limited to, medical care, food and housing insecurity and funding requests in times of crisis.
• Provide drop-in services to students
• Complete documentation and maintain records of student cases in online case management system.
• Empower students to build self-sufficiency skills, especially around navigating community systems
• Follow up with and support students in distress to monitor progress and ensure compliance with recommendations.
• Support students in applying for public assistance benefits and programming.
• Basic Needs Hub Support
• Monitor inventory of Cub Pantry and Basic Needs Hub
• Remove expired items from Cub Pantry
• Place weekly order with Lion's Pantry to replenish food items
• Sort food and other basic needs resource items to maintain neat environment
• Office Support
• Greet and direct walk-in students or other visitors
• Answer phones
• Communicate with parents/guardians, families, or designated emergency contacts, as appropriate.
• Assist with clerical tasks such as retrieving and distributing mail, making copies, etc.
• Special projects
• Projects and other duties will be assigned based on the needs of SCA and the skills and abilities of our work study team
• Outreach events, including but not limited to presentations for other students

Skills and Qualifications:

• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively
• Reliable and trustworthy
• Customer service experience with a professional, empathetic, and solutions-oriented approach

About Student Care and Advocacy, a division of Penn State Student Affairs

Student Care and Advocacy uses a coordinated, team approach when empowering students to navigate unforeseen difficulties and suggests a course of action that considers the needs of the individual in the context of available resources. No matter the situation faced by the student, the team focuses on helping the whole person, knowing that difficult circumstances are often indicators of other challenges that the student may be facing. While the team helps students experiencing any issue, the office has three primary pillars of care: Basic Needs, Respondent Support, and Care Coordination. Examples of situations with which the office can assist are academic distress, financial insecurity, housing/food insecurity, death of an immediate family member, family emergency/crisis, mental health concerns, medical emergency and/or hospitalization, long-term illness, being named in allegations of misconduct, navigating a university misconduct process, and/or unexpected events or challenges. The approach is one of empowerment, encouraging students to maximize their educational experience and prepare for involvement in the larger community and life beyond college.

This is a 10-40 hour per week position with a possibility of some remote work. Stipend available based on contracted hours.