Instructors may call Public Safety if they think a student is unstable
By Ame Phitwong
In the wake of the recent shootings at Northern Illinois University and Louisiana Tech, some UP officials say faculty may be unaware of options available to them when dealing with potential dangerous students
At the Feb. 19 Academic Senate meeting, the Rev. Mark Ghyselinck, C.S.C., the senate representative from the President's Advisory Committee for Health and Safety and a performing and fine arts professor at UP, reminded faculty that they can call Public Safety and ask an officer to be "in the vicinity" of a classroom where the instructors fears a potentially dangerous student may react adversely to a poor grade or as a result of personal stress.
"(Public Safety) would rather be there than have to deal with a bigger situation later," Ghyselinck said at the meeting.
Public Safety Director Harold Burke-Sivers could not be reached for comment.
Paul Myers, director of the Health Center, said the recent shootings did not prompt any immediate reevaluation of the university's current policies or procedures. He said these events have reinforced the importance of effective timely communication, especially through the Early Alert Program, a free service that allows faculty, staff, students or parents who are concerned about a student to place a concern.
"The Early Alert Program is marketed to audiences that are likely to make referrals," Myers said in an e-mail. "I would not be surprised to learn that there are still many faculty and many staff who do not know about the program because folks are so busy it is hard to keep track of every program on campus, and we have no advertising budget for this."
The program began in 1993 and may be accessed through a link on PilotsUP.
"I think we've helped a large number of students," Myers said. The Early Alert Program has brought to his attention reports of rape, sexual assault, mentally illness and family deaths.
Taking action
According to Myers, 50 students were reported to the early alert program by parents, students, faculty and administrators between Aug. 15 and Nov. 15 of last year. Of the 50 Early Alert Cases, 15 resolved themselves without requiring action beyond a notice to faculty, or a call to a parent or to the student of concern. Ten involved very intensive case management, consultation and intervention, according to Myers.
Myers estimates he gets three to five cases a week. He said the number of e-mails and calls increases around the time of academic warnings, and as the drop/add deadline approaches.
Myers said he manually sorts through all the e-mails, which go directly to him. He said the program is a collaborative effort between the Health Center, the Provost and Student Affairs.
Myers explained that the concerns range from class absences, a change in behavior or grieving with family deaths. He said it is important to resolve these issues with nonprofessional interventions first, such as involving the faculty member or the person who filed a concern.
If there is imminent harm to the student or others, the Health Center becomes involved directly along with other departments to prevent any danger. Sometimes, Public Safety will get involved.
"It's very reasonable to have Public Safety within the vicinity," Myers said.
Myers recalled only one case in the past 11 years where Public Safety was stationed nearby to respond in case of a student outburst. Stressful situations, such as when an instructor tells a student that he is failing a class or not going to graduate, have called for extra reinforcement.
Extra reinforcements have entailed asking additional faculty or staff members to be present if the student has a history of unpredictable behavior. Myers said there has been no procedure or rule that required Public Safety to be outside the classroom or near students who are regarded as unpredictable.
Myers believes eliminating misconceptions and making the general public more aware of confidentiality rules will help create better understanding about a mental health professional's role in care for the mentally ill.
"If someone poses a threat to self or the community, we've always been able to break confidentiality," Myers said.
He explained that faculty members often think they can't consult to the Health Center at all about a student. This is incorrect, according to Myers. Although the Health Center cannot confirm or deny that a student is receiving therapy or what is discussed in those sessions, it can provide guidance to the faculty in how to approach the student.
Unless a student poses a danger to himself or others, the Health Center will not release information related to the student's treatment and therapeutic communications. Another misconception is that mental health professionals won't alert the proper authorities when harm is indicated.
"With Virginia Tech, there is no evidence (the shootings) were due to neglect on part of the mental health professional," Myers said. He said a call for increased access to private medical records is not the answer and can make the people seeking help feel less protected.
Senior Hailey Spevak is not worried about a similar incident happening at UP and is confident in the University's handling of mentally ill students.
"In general, UP is such a small campus, I feel pretty safe," Spevak said. "I used to walk alone at night, and although that's probably not the best thing to do, I never was concerned."
Getting the word out
Philosophy professor Jeff Gauthier, chair of the Academic Senate, said there is not tremendous concern among faculty regarding potentially dangerous students, but the Senate is working with the University to look into options about a notification system in case of emergencies.
"It's such a rare event, that investing in an expensive program is just not practical, unless they become more frequent," Gauthier said. "I don't think (UP) is particularly lax or on the cutting edge. We're with everybody else."
Gauthier said he did not know much about the Early Alert program and had not personally had any experiences with unstable students. He said that when difficulties with a student arise, faculty members discuss the issue with one another.
If there is no resolution, the faculty member will contact the Health Center for help. Although Gauthier could not recall any specific situations where Public Safety was involved, the subject of having Public Safety within the vicinity of an unpredictable student was discussed so that other faculty members were informed that the option was available.
"It's more a matter of security than a health matter," Gauthier said. He said picking out problem students was a health concern and that having an effective notification system during emergencies was a security issue.
The President's Advisory Committee for Health and Safety meets every month and is chaired by Jeff Rook from Public Safety.
'Risk factors'
As other schools reexamine their policies, Myers brings to light the media and society's need to point blame. He said that when the killer committed suicide, faults in universities policies or the health care system were scrutinized.
"I think seeking to understand is very important and to recognize that sometimes horrible things happen regardless of what measures are in place," Myers said. He believes blaming is not the right approach.
According to Myers, every year, approximately 8 percent of incoming freshmen at UP report some type of mental illness, such as depression. The national range is between 15 to 20 percent. Myers explained that this correlation has a lot to do with age. The average age at UP is 20 years old and nationally, the average is between 29 and 30 years old at state schools. Myers said the lifetime prevalence of a mental illness for all the students at UP, including graduate students, is 12 to 15 percent.
Upon acceptance to the univer sity, Myers said each student fills out a health form for the Health Center's records. If a student notes previous hospitalizations for an eating disorder or attempted suicide, Myers said the student's family is notified to evaluate whether or not the student's attendance is safe and how well they have adjusted post-hospitalization.
"Having a mental disorder doesn't make someone dangerous," Myers said. "Depression doesn't predict suicide, but it is one of the many risk factors."
