Information for Students

Early Assist is not the place to report concerns about staff or faculty members. If you have a concern about a staff or faculty member, contact the Human Resources department.

If you need support, the best thing to do is to visit or contact the Student Life Office. However, if it’s easier, you could submit an Early Assist about yourself.

In a caring community, members look out for each other and try to help when possible. If someone is concerned about you, they may submit an Early Assist referral. Ideally, they will talk to you about their concern first; however, this is not always possible.

Early Assist referrals will go directly to the Student Life Office – specifically trained staff whose role it is to support students in the access to BCIT resources and off campus services. The Student Life Office will assess the referral and decide whether it’s necessary to contact you. The office will make two attempts to contact you by email. If the office does not hear back from you, the matter will be considered closed. An exception to this would be if there is a concern for your safety.

If you receive an email or phone call, we encourage you to respond. However, the choice is yours. There is no penalty for not responding, and you can still access supports at any time.

No. The Early Assist system is outside of any other system at BCIT. Information submitted through Early Assist will not show up on any other system at BCIT. Your academic record, academic progress, and access to funding are unaffected by an Early Assist referral.

No. Early Assist is a system of support; it is not a place for reporting misconduct. Conduct violations should not be reported through Early Assist.

BCIT is committed to providing services and supports designed to help our students meet our high standards, and we strongly encourage students to take advantage of the help that can be provided through Early Assist.

You cannot opt out of being contacted if an Early Assist referral is submitted on your behalf. However, the choice to respond is yours. There is no penalty for not responding, and you can still access supports at any time.