OFFICE OF THE DEAN OF STUDENTS

As a result of growing national trends on college campuses of mental health issues and the increase in unsafe behaviors leading to harm or death, Montana State University has created the Campus Safety and Welfare Program (CSWP). In order to promote the safety and wellness of the University, the CSWP addresses behaviors that are disruptive or concerning and may include mental health and/or safety issues.

MSU CARE PROGRAM

The MSU CARE Program is comprised of two teams, the Behavior intervention Team (BIT) and the Campus Assessment, Response and Evaluation Team. The BIT focuses on working with students who present as possibly being higher risk to themselves or the community. The CARE team works with students who need intervention but do not present as being a risk to harm self or others.

BIT is a multi-disciplinary team composed of members from the Office of the Dean of Students, University Police, Counseling and Psychological Services, University Health Partners, Residence Life, Office of Institutional Equity, the Office of and Disability. This team maintains responsibly for discussing, assessing and responding to reports of individuals who are demonstrating disruptive or concerning behaviors that can or have become dangerous. The BIT is designed to be a centralized entity that is proactive in providing swift, coordinated, caring, and developmental intervention to members of the campus community prior to crisis.

CARE is also a multidisciplinary team composed of members from the Office of the Dean of Students, Counseling and Psychological Services, University Advising Services, Disability Services, Athletics, and Residence Life. This team maintains responsibly for discussing, assessing and responding to reports of individuals who are struggling in a serious way that never reaches a level that there is a concern for danger to self or others. Examples of a CARE case would be a student who lost a family member, or a student who stopped taking their psychotropic medications and was having adverse reactions. The CARE team is designed to be a centralized entity that is proactive in providing swift, coordinated, caring, and developmental intervention to members of the campus community as they are experiencing personal or emotional hardship.

What if I am concerned about someone?

A person of concern is any individual who demonstrates disruptive or problematic behavior, expresses personal difficulties, exhibits mental or emotional instability, or otherwise causes another member of the campus community to feel apprehension for their safety or for the safety of the person of concern.

To report a concern, visit: www.montana.edu/deanofstudents/csw.html or submit a CARE report using the SafeCats app.

Guidelines for Intervention

You can have a profound effect on students when you openly acknowledge that you are aware of their distress, are sincerely concerned about their welfare, and are willing to help them explore options. Whenever possible, we encourage you to speak directly and honestly to students if you sense academic or personal distress.

  • Request to see the student in This should help minimize embarrassment and defensiveness. Show respect for the student.
  • Briefly share your observations and perceptions of the student’s Express your concerns directly and honestly.
  • Listen Try to see the issues from the student’s point of view without agreeing or disagreeing.
  • Attempt to identify the Is the student connected with any ongoing resources? You can help by exploring options to deal with the concern.
  • Acknowledge inappropriate or strange Comment on what you observe without sounding judgmental.
  • Flexibility in administering established policies may allow an alienated student to respond more effectively to your

Involve yourself only as far as you are comfortable, then refer the student to the appropriate resources. As you attempt to reach out to a troubled student, do not become more involved than time or skill permits.

STUDENT CONDUCT PROGRAM

The student conduct process at MSU is not intended to punish students; rather, it exists to challenge those whose behavior is not in accordance with our policies and to foster a better understanding of the expectations that exists for members of our academic community. The vast majority of conduct cases at MSU are resolved through administrative meetings. These are one-on-one conversations between the student and a Conduct Officer.

During an administrative meeting, the Conduct Officer will provide the student an opportunity to share their account of the incident, view incident reports and/or other written documentation, ask follow-up questions, and discuss potential outcomes (sanctions) if the student is found responsible for violating the Code of Student Conduct (Code). The primary focus of these meetings is to determine what happened and if a violation took place, assist the student in understanding the impact of their behavior, and provide a space for the student to begin reflecting on how to learn from the incident.

If it is determined that a violation of the Code occurred and that the student is responsible, most administrative meetings conclude with an administrative agreement in which the student agrees to take responsibility for their involvement in the incident and to complete a sanction or set of sanctions that will help them learn from the incident.

Student Conduct Hearings

The conduct process also includes a more formal route for resolving conduct cases called a conduct hearing. A conduct hearing is utilized if an administrative agreement cannot be reached, if the severity of the incident or the student’s conduct history warrants a more in-depth adjudication process, or if the student chooses to participate in a hearing instead of first meeting with a Conduct Officer. The procedures and guidelines for conduct hearings are detailed in the Code of Student Conduct.

Student Conduct Sanctions

Sanctions are intended to improve the students’ moral and ethical decision-making and to help them learn more about what is expected as members of our community. In determining a sanction the Conduct Officer will rely on the Common Sanctioning Guidelines, but may also consider the student’s present and past disciplinary record, including Residence Hall disciplinary record, the nature of the offense, the severity of any damage, injury, or harm resulting from the violation, and other factors relevant to the case.

Additionally, more than one sanction may be assigned upon the completion of a hearing or proposed by a conduct officer. In cases where students fail to demonstrate an understanding of established conduct standards or pose a threat to the continuing safety of the academic community, the conduct officer may determine that the student should no longer share in the privilege of being a student member of MSU’s academic community.

(HEOA) Notification to Victims of Crimes of Violence

MSU will disclose upon written request the results of any disciplinary proceeding, conducted by such institution, to the alleged victim of a crime of violence or a non-forcible sex offense against a student who is the alleged perpetrator of such crime or offense. If the alleged victim is deceased as a result of such crime or offense, the next of kin of such victim shall be treated as the alleged victim for purposes of this disclosure.

Disclosure of the results of a proceeding to the charging student and the charged student in compliance with these provisions does not constitute a violation of section 444 of the General Education Provisions Act (20 U.S.C. 1232g), commonly known as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA).

DEPARTMENT OF RESIDENCE LIFE

Residence Life places an educational packet in each room for every resident about Safety and Security in the halls and on campus, including information about vandalism and reporting suspicious persons and activities. This brochure also contains information about missing persons reporting, the silent witness program, and residence hall access.

Additionally, each semester Residence Life provides educational programming for residents that focuses on safety and security in the buildings. In the fall semester, each building completes a program that addresses the importance of locking doors in the hall by going to every door in each hall and giving out educational materials. In the spring semester, each building designs a safety program that meets the specific needs of that building. Examples of those programs include cyber security, reporting suspicious persons, and leaving items unattended in common areas.

FRATERNITY AND SORORITY LIFE

Each Fraternity and Sorority chapter at MSU is required by the Dean of Students to host a sexual assault prevention training with the VOICE center each fall. A variety of other health and safety trainings are held during the academic year. Topics include but are not limited to: sexual health and awareness, bystander intervention, men and women’s health, safety on campus, QPR (suicide prevention) training, mental health and wellness and alcohol awareness. All MSU fraternities that

host events with alcohol must attend an alcohol awareness and risk management training at the start of every fall semester.

ADDITIONAL SAFETY PROGRAMS

The Office of the Dean of Students offers an annual Faculty Excellence Workshop on dealing with disruptive and at-risk students. In addition, trainings regarding how to deal with suicidal or disruptive students are conducted (or offered) for department heads and academic advisors in all colleges and academic departments during each academic year. Associate Deans receive regular updates regarding Safety and Welfare trends and policies each semester.