Help for Faculty in Coping with
a Student Who Seems Threatening
Guide
for Brooklyn College Faculty
This guide outlines the assistance and
options available to faculty at Brooklyn College when dealing with a
student who makes them feel uneasy, is aggressive, 'pushy', or demanding
or who is overtly threatening. Please refer to the guide How to Identify,
Assist and Refer Students with Personal Problems and/or Disruptive Behavior
for related information. You may also wish to consult About Resolving
Conflict and Preventing Violence. For copies, ask your department
chair or the Personal Counseling program (951-5363).
Do not ignore your uneasy feelings about a student.
If a student behaves inappropriately with you or otherwise
makes you feel uneasy, discuss your experience with someone else:
a colleague, your department chair, or someone from personal counseling,
student life or the appropriate dean's office. Try to identify the
specific behavior that makes you feel uneasy: The student may stand
too close, speak in a raised voice, be discourteous, mumble inaudibly,
make veiled or overt threats, submit exams or other written work with
bizarre or threatening content, refuse to comply with your reasonable
requests or directions.
Do not meet with the student in an isolated place
like your office. (If you feel unsafe, meet in a public or semi-public
area, such as a room that adjoins a department office where others
are working. Leave the door open. If you feel that you need to do
so, ask another person to be present.)
Do not 'give in' to overly aggressive or 'pushy' behavior
in order to feel safe. Get help instead. Setting a limit (denying
a student request for good reasons, asking the student to behave appropriately--speak
reasonably or politely, etc.) at the beginning can avoid a more serious
situation later. If you do not feel safe in setting a limit, ask security
(951-5511) to provide someone to monitor the situation while you do
so.
If the student's inappropriate behavior or your
uneasy feelings persist:
Meet with the student and ask them to change their
behavior. (Again, if you feel unsafe, meet in a public or semi-public
area, such as a room that adjoins a department office where others
are working. Leave the door open. If you feel that you need to do
so, ask another person to be present.) You must tell the student which
of their behaviors are creating a problem (see above) and ask them
to change the behavior.
You should try to refer the student for help with
whatever difficulties may be involved in the behavior problem. Tell
the student that you understand that they may be under stress and
that you would suggest that it may be helpful for them to consult
with a counselor. See the guide How to Identify, Assist and Refer
Students with Personal Problems and/or Disruptive Behavior for information
on how to refer the student for counseling.
If a threatening situation emerges during a class
meeting:
Exercise one of two options available to you: (A)
Ask the student to accompany you to discuss the situation at the department
office or another area where help is available. Or, (B) tell the class
that it is not possible to continue the meeting. Ask students to leave
and to reconvene later or at the next scheduled meeting.
Seek assistance. Both security and personal counseling
should be contacted. A personal counselor is always on call to respond
to urgent situations.
Contact the personal counseling program and request
a counselor to help debrief your class about the incident at the next
class meeting. Other students may have strong emotional reactions
to the situation.
If the student cannot or will not change their
behavior after repeated, clear requests to do so:
You may ask the student to cease attending your class
until they can change their behavior. You may want to arrange a security
presence in advance to enforce your request. Consult with the director
of security. Security assistance can be provided to monitor your classes
and office hours, if indicated. A security escort to and from transportation
is available at any time.
You can and should also take disciplinary action
with respect to the student.
Contact the office of the Dean of Student
Affairs (951-5352) for assistance. When you file a complaint, there
will be an attempt to resolve the situation. First informal mediation
will be attempted. If efforts are unsuccessful, formal action can be
taken to impose sanctions and requirements on the student. If warranted,
immediate action to can be taken to prohibit the student from entering
campus.
It is important to take disciplinary
action if the student cannot control their behavior because other faculty
and staff may also be experiencing problems with the student. It is
important to bring the total situation to light. The Dean's office can
contact all of the student's instructors to find out if there is a broader
problem.
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