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- PURPOSE: Old Dominion University is committed to preserving an environment that enables community members to reach their fullest potential. In responding to behaviors of concern, we aspire to protect, as much as possible, the health, safety and welfare of the University community from violence. The University shall form and maintain a group committed to identify threats, evaluate risks, educate the University as to threats, insure appropriate response, monitor behaviors of concern, and periodically evaluate the program's effectiveness with the overall goal of preventing violence.
- AUTHORITY: Virginia Code § 23-9.2:10
- THE TEAM includes the following or their designees:
Chief of Police Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs Dean of Students & Chief Student Affairs Officer Director of Human Resources Director of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity Director of Counseling Services Director of Institutional Equity and Diversity University Counsel Other individuals may be consulted as needed
The President shall appoint the chair and the chair shall serve at the will of the President. - SCOPE: “Behaviors of Concern” include actions and communications that cause concern among community members where the actor may be planning or preparing to carry out an act of violence that places an individual or group at risk of serious harm. Warning signs of impending violence may include, but are not limited to, the following: verbal threats; written threats; homicidal/suicidal ideation or behaviors; and disturbing writings, drawings, self-produced videos or Internet communications containing violent fantasy content. Other indicators that should raise concern about potential violence include an actor's ideas or plans about injuring him/herself or attacking an institution or its members; communications or writings that suggest the person has an unusual or worrisome interest in school attacks; comments that express or imply the person is considering mounting an attack at an institution; recent weapon-seeking behavior, especially if weapon-seeking is linked to ideas about attack or expressions about interest in attack; communications or writings suggesting the person condones or is considering violence to redress a grievance or solve a problem; and rehearsals of attacks or ambushes.
- REPORTS OF BEHAVIORS OF CONCERN: All behaviors of concern should be reported to a member of the Team or may be directed to the Old Dominion University Police. In cases of imminent emergency, always contact the Old Dominion University Police Department.
Any person may make a report of a concern to any member of the Team. - Students, faculty, staff, volunteers and visitors may make an anonymous report by utilizing the “Silent Witness Form” located on the Old Dominion University Police Department's website (http://www.odu.edu/af/police/). Reports submitted anonymously will be investigated as thoroughly as possible.
Any person who believes he/she may become or is a victim of domestic violence should immediately notify their supervisor if the person is a member of the faculty, staff, or otherwise a University employee. If the person is a student that person should contact the Office of Student Affairs. If a protective order exists, a copy of the order should accompany the notification. - Persons who report a behavior of concern and persons who assist in the investigation and disposition of such reports shall not be subject to harassment, interference, intimidation, or retaliation. It shall be a violation of University policy to submit a deliberately false or misleading report to the Police or to the Team, or to knowingly or intentionally provide information one knows, or should know, to be false as part of a Team investigation. If a student, faculty member, employee or visitor is discovered to have provided information in violation of this policy, appropriate disciplinary action will be taken.
- THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE TEAM:
Educating the campus community to identify and report threats and other behaviors of concern; Evaluating the risk of targeted violence posed by an individual or group reported to the Team; Evaluating the risk of self harm; Developing the most appropriate response congruent with the investigation and risk assessment, including referrals to appropriate University officials, mental health professionals and/or law enforcement agencies; Assisting the potential target(s) of violence in developing and implementing appropriate preventative safety measures; Consulting with University community members who have concerns about the safety or well-being of students, faculty or staff members of Old Dominion University; Creating, revising, or recommending policies and procedures that will advance campus safety and/or threat assessment team functions; and - Providing recommended action for those who exhibit behaviors of concern.
Any recommendations made by the Team shall be forwarded to the University vice president having general charge or supervision over the person of concern. The vice president shall be responsible for determining whether to refer the individual for counseling, if available, or whether the report otherwise suggests the need for intervention for formative or disciplinary purposes. For the purposes of this paragraph, the Chief Student Affairs Officer shall have charge and supervision over the students; the Vice President for Administration and Finance shall have charge and supervision over vendors and visitors. In the event an investigation necessitates institutional administrative action to condition or to terminate an individual's continued enrollment, residence, employment or other participation in University affairs, such actions will be undertaken pursuant to those policies that are appropriate for such purposes in light of the individual's student, employment, visitor or volunteer status.
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