Table of Contents

Mission
Guiding Principles
Authority
Membership
Meetings
Team Communications
Records and Decisions of Action
Types of Behaviors and Indicators
Threatening, Concerning and or Disruptive Behaviors
Annoying Behaviors or Causing Discomfort
Threat Assessment
Threat Assessment Process
Risk Assessment
Protocols
Using Advocate
Case Management
Records and Privacy of Information

Mission
Reporting to the Vice President for Student Affairs, the Student Concerns Committee (SCC),
through a collaborative and proactive approach, is committed to ensuring a safe and secure
campus environment. Members are purposeful in their efforts to prevent, identify, assess and
respond to situations that pose a significant threat to the safety of the campus community

Guiding Principles
The SCC process is rooted in advocacy in nature and not intended to punish. The SCC is aware
that many times, students who are referred to SCC are going through difficulties in their lives,
whether that be personal or academic. The SCC is comprised of members of the Division of
Student Affairs and other community partners who are able to provide assistance to students and
protect the best interest of the general university community.
Every member of the campus community has a responsibility to effectively recognize and report
threatening or concerning behavior
Individuals civil rights will be respected by conducting risk assessments based on
observed and measurable behaviors, rather than by making judgments about an
individuals identity or ability. In addition, an intention of care and understanding will
be utilized in interacting and responding whenever possible and appropriate.
Faculty, staff, and students may observe behaviors that might be interrupted as
disturbing or disruptive. Once these behaviors are identified and referred to the SCC,
the committee conducts a compressive review of the behavior and circumstances in
order to develop a strategy and intervention(s) that will offer support to an individual
and prevent an escalation of inappropriate behavior (Fein, Vossekuil, Pollack, Borum,
Modzeleski, & Reddy, 2002).
The SCC collaborates with faculty and staff and utilizes campus support services to
achieve its mission. The SCC does not replace existing relationships or established
protocols for managing campus or classroom disruptions.
Targeted violence can often be prevented, and individuals often follow an escalation
of attack-related behaviors from ideation to planning to preparation to
implementation. (See figure below)

Authority
A representative from the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs will chair the SCC. In
the event the SCC cannot determine the most appropriate course of action, consultation with the
VPSA and other university officials will occur. The VPSA reserves the right to have the final
authority in all SCC decisions.
 Membership
Core Members Other Departments (As Needed)
Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs Office of Student Activities
Office of Community Standards and Student University Center for International Education
Conduct Office of the General Council
Office of Residence Life and Housing Human Resources
University Police Department Student Employment
Student Support Services Office of the Provost
Student Health Services Office of Compliance
Counseling and Wellness Services
Office of Disability Services
Athletics Department
Office of Equity and Inclusion
Office of LGBTQA Affairs

Meetings
SCC will meet regularly (usually each week) except when the university is closed. During the
summer session, the SCC will meet as needed. The purpose of these meetings include:
Review of incidents and/or student concerns
Analyze and assess incidents/behavior that brought to the attention of the team
Design an appropriate and timely response/intervention(s)
Continually re-assess student concerns for as long as the need exists
Design and review educational materials or outreach programs
Discuss and analyze trends of the campus
Initiate training/professional development for team members

The SCC shall also meet between regularly scheduled meetings as the need arises. All SCC
meetings are closed to the campus community to protect the privacy of the student. Any member
wishing to invite a guest, should contact the chair for approval at least 24 hours in advance.

Team Communication
Once the chair or their designee has been made aware of a Critical Incident/Media Worthy Event
they will send correspondence through appropriate and timely means to those individuals who
have a need to know to perform their job duties. Please note these communications are strictly
confidential and should be shared only with those that need to know information to perform their
job function,

Records and Decisions of Action

Any and all relevant decisions, recommendations or information related to individual cases will
be updated in Advocate. All student information will be maintained in accordance with the
 Family Education Rights and Privacy Act. Information pertaining to outreach or any other team
projects should be stored on the shared drive.

The Escalation of Attack-Related Behaviors

Implementation

Preparation

Planning

Ideation

(Deisinger, Randazzo, O'Neil and Savage, 2008, P. 27)

Ideation- The student has a thought or fantasy of causing harm to oneself or others.

Planning- The student is designing a plan to carry out the harm to themselves or others.

Preparation- Student is gathering the materials to carry out their plan of harm

Implementation- The student implements the act of violence on themselves or others.

Types of Behavior

SCC
Call Police REFERRAL
 Threatening
Concerning
Student behavior
may also be a
violation of the
Student Code of
Address Conduct.
situations
through
classroom
management or
office
procedures.

Threatening, Concerning and or Disruptive Behavior

The first category of behaviors or indicators consists of those that indicate possible violence or
cause a concern that should be addressed quickly and by someone with appropriate
training/experience.

Threatening Behavior- Behavior that indicates violence towards oneself or others directly or
indirectly
Concerning Behavior- Makes one to believe that one is on a path to cause self-harm or harm
towards others
Examples of behaviors:
Articulated or expressed of threats to oneself or others
Endorsement of violence and expression of wanting to take part in it.
Acts of aggression
Stalking or harassment
Escalating unmanaged health conditions
Sudden drastic changes in life or personality
Articulation of depression, despair, or hopelessness

Disruptive Behavior-
These behaviors significantly affect the learning process or general office operations, but may
not appear to be threatening behavior. These behaviors may cause staff to have an reaction from
others. These behaviors should be referred to SCC.

Yelling or being excessively loud

Interrupting/not waiting for responses
Being under the influence of substances
Destructive towards property
Interacting with an office to impede significant amounts of work from being completed
Refusing to leave or cooperate
Hygiene concerns that severely impact others abilities to work or study

Annoying Behaviors or Behaviors Causing Discomfort

These behaviors or indicators are those that may not be disruptive or concerning, but may still
create discomfort in others. These behaviors can include physical manifestations of mental and
psychological conditions, as well as behaviors that may simply vary among individuals due to
any variety of differences. These are often behaviors that (if left unaddressed or if managed
poorly) may lead a student to develop more concerning behaviors.

Examples
Staring
Not picking up on social cues
Standing within personal space boundaries
Contacting an office multiple times
Wanting to speak to a supervisor
Exhibiting disrespect/rudeness
Suggesting litigation or involving attorneys or parents

The behaviors listed above are all examples of behaviors that the SCC may address, or the chair
my designate a committee member to help address the issue.

These behaviors are the most common behaviors and more likely to stop once addressed. SCC
will work with the reporting party to provide guidance for addressing these issues.
Information Related to Disabilities & Mental Health
An individual with a disability or mental health condition may also exhibit some of the behaviors
described above. Students with disabilities or mental health conditions are still expected to
comply with essential academic standards as well as behavioral standards put forth by Wright
State University. In situations where an individual discloses having a disability or mental health
condition, or is treated as such, the SCC acknowledges the standards that apply through the
Americans with Disabilities Act.
Some implications of this include:
SCC may seek assistance from Counseling and Wellness services and campus or Office
of Disability Services in order to better understand some of the behaviors that an
individual may be exhibiting as a result of a disability or mental health condition
(whether diagnosed or not).
Involving caregivers, counselors, or trained professionals to assist with investigations,
meetings with referred individuals, or evaluating information may be helpful.
Separation from campus may not be the best course of action in all situations; in fact, it
may exacerbate the circumstances in some cases, especially those situations where
protective factors are unknown or absent beyond the campus.
A student may present a direct threat in some situations (e. g. a classroom or cafeteria)
but not in others (e.g. distance based courses), and reasonable accommodations may help
to mitigate a threat (The Jed Foundation, 2008).
Many students with mental health conditions and disabilities do not engage in violent behaviors.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services references a variety of research supporting
this in its website Violence and Mental Illness: The Facts. Gary Pavela, an author on Law and
Policy in Higher Education, describes the declining rates of violent crime on college campuses in
his April 6, 2012, edition of The Pavela Report. Pavela (2012, p. 3-4) describes that while
research shows some association between severe mental illness and violence, the modest
correlation would not be enough to draw conclusions about the future behavior of a specific
student. In addition, studies have shown that approximately 10% of college students have
thought about suicide in the past year, and multiple studies have found that college students
commit suicide at rates significantly lower than 18- to 24-year-olds in the general population
(Pavela, 2012, p.3). Further, the Jed Foundation (2008) asserts that the odds that a student with
suicidal ideation will actually commit suicide are 1000 to 1. Given this, a broad approach to
separate students who may express suicide ideation or mental illness is not appropriate. The
following questions suggested by the Jed Foundation should be considered to ensure a careful
review of the unique circumstances surrounding each referral occurs:
Would the same behaviors be treated similarly for a student without a disability?
Have reasonable accommodations been provided?
Should mitigating factors be considered?
Threat Assessment-
Threat assessment is fundamentally concerned with understanding the meaning and context of
the students threatening behavior, and using this information to address the root of the problem
rather than simply disciplining the student.(Cornell, Allen, 2011) The following diagram
depicts how SCC will perform threat assessments of referrals.

Taken from Virginia Tech University- Threat Assessment Team

All updates will be made in Advocate.
Risk Assessment Process
Protocols

The steps of threat assessment for targeted violence consist of (Vossekuil, Fein, Reddy, Borum,
& Modzeleski, 2002):
1) Identifying an individual who has an idea or intent to attack,
2) Gathering sufficient information from multiple sources,
3) Assessing whether the individual poses a risk to a possible target.
4) Managing the threat if it appears the individual poses one.
Step 1: typically occurs by members of the campus community when they refer a student to the
SCC through the use of public reporting. Although SCC may also identify such individuals on
its own.
Step 2: occurs through an investigation into possible risk factors, The SCC will investigation and
solicit relevant information about the individuals behavior and past, relationship to potential
targets, as well as the context of the campus environment and possible triggers for violence. Then
if it is determined there is a threat you will move to step 3, if not the case will be closed.
Step 3: occurs when SCC analyzes the information learned by the investigation to determine a
level of threat. The SCC assigns a risk level based on levels of threat. After the determination of
a level of threat the char or their designee will determine if immediate action is warranted. If the
need were to arise the chair or designee will hold a special session of SCC.
Step 4: occurs when the SCC discusses options for interventions intended to address threats or
mitigate the risk of violence such as providing assistance, accountability measures, resources,
and/or support to referred individuals, potential targets, and the campus. The SCC often guides
this step as other campus constituencies provide interventions and management of potential
threats and concerns.
Step 5: All information is recorded in the students case file in Advocate by the chair or their
designee.
Case Management

CareNetwork- A piece of the Advocate database that is set aside for students of concern.

Status Definitions
Pending- Means that a report has been submitted into Advocate via public reporting or staff
reporting.

Processing- The case manager has determined the case needs to be investigated by the case
manager or their designee.

Assigned- The case has been assigned to a member of SCC and the member is conduct a Care
and Concern conference

Monitored- The status of monitored is given to the cases that have not had completed resolution
and the SCC member and the case manager will continue to monitor the situation.

Resolved- Report is closed.