A Behavior Intervention Team was put into place soon after the incident on the Virginia Tech campus about four years ago. The name is now changed to the Student Intervention Team because it only deals with students rather than other faculty and staff.
The mission of the Murray State University Student Intervention Team is to collect, track, and evaluate reports from all parts of campus concerning students who may pose a threat to their own safety and/or the safety of others. The team is represented by personnel from various departments on campus.
The committee members hale from various departments on campus so the entire campus is represented. Committee members include those from Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, Student Conduct Office, Psychological Center, Counseling and Testing Center, Health Services, Public Safety, and University Attorney’s Office.
“The goal is to have appropriate personnel meet to determine if any student behavior could pose a risk to self or others and then determine an appropriate course of action,” Vice President of Student Services and Student Intervention Team Chair, Don Robertson said. “It was another step in addressing Campus and student safety.”
The purpose, as stated on the Student Intervention Team website, is to track behaviors and provide interventions in order to protect the individual and others from self-injuries or suicidal threats and behavior, aberrant or strange behaviors that cause concern, behavior that might be perceived as dangerous, and threats of any kind towards another individual.
“This Team is just another way Murray State wants to provide any type of assistance to help our students be successful,” Assistant Vice President of Student Services Michael Young said.
For several years, Murray State had a group that would meet to address student concerns and issues, the Student Intervention Team is just a more formalized concept, Young said.
The Team has a standing monthly meeting, but they can meet more often if circumstances merit a meeting. The goal of this team and its meetings is to provide structure for an effective method of addressing student behaviors that interfere with the mission of the University.
“We want to look at a way to help students accomplish what they came here to do and that is to graduate,” Young said. “We want to help remove any road blocks or anything else that might stand in their way of accomplishing that.”
The Student Intervention Team and its committee wants to manage each case on an individual basis and in a confidential manner, as well as initiate appropriate interventions and act as a resource for students, faculty, administrators and staff.
On the Student Intervention Team website there is a box for referrals to be made if someone is aware or suspects that intervention is needed. The referral is received via email at the Student Conduct Office. The Team then evaluates the situation to determine the most appropriate response.