I. Membership
A. The designated Student Wellness Intervention and Facilitation Team is comprised of College administrators and staff members who meet at least every other month to discuss behavioral incidents and concerns occurring on campus and discuss, plan and implement intervention strategies. The team will be called together as needed, outside of the regular schedule to discuss students demonstrating behavioral concerns.
B. Membership on the team will include: Vice President of Student Services, Dean of Arts and Sciences, Director of Safety and Security, Director of Student Success and Retention, Director of Financial Aid, Student Engagement Specialist, Advisor/DSS Coordinator, Veterans Services Coordinator and faculty members with an expressed interest and/or expertise.
C. Members come to the Team with experience in managing student services and safety aspects of the campus experience, and may therefore spot trends and set up early intervention as they evaluate behaviors from a variety of campus perspectives.
D. The primary purpose of the team is to provide an early intervention resource for a College faculty, staff and students to consult on student behaviors identified as distressing, disruptive or threatening.
II. Behaviors which may require attention by SWIFT
A. Suicidal ideation, attempt or self-injurious behavior
B. Behavior that is not understood but is concerning or disturbing to others such as talking incessantly to oneself or to an imaginary person
C. Erratic behavior, including online activities that can disrupt the mission and/or normal proceedings of college students, faculty, staff, and others. This would include violence or the threat of violence
D. Threatening behavior to others in the college community
E. Actions resulting in transportation to the hospital for alcohol or drug use/abuse or mental health crises
The above list is illustrative only and not meant to be an exhaustive list of all behaviors.
III. Specific examples to be brought to the attention of SWIFT
A. A student submits an assignment about committing suicide
B. Two students make a class video about placing bombs on campus
C. Someone receives an email stating, “I’m going to kill everyone in the Math Department”
D. A student’s social media postings indicate the desire to harm self or others
E. A student corresponds with a faculty member using language that indicates disordered thinking
F. A student communicates suicidal/homicidal intent
G. A student displays other odd or threatening behaviors
H. A student presents with injuries or outwards physical signs of abuse
The above list is illustrative only and not meant to be an exhaustive list of examples. A threat assessment tool is located at the end of this document. Detailed information on recognizing distressed students will be included on the College’s website and located on the Campus Safety and Security webpage and the ACE webpage.
IV. Team Responsibilities
A. Receive and gather information about behavior that appears to be dangerous or threatening to the student or others.
B. Facilitate interventions by suggesting referrals to appropriate offices or mandate off-campus mental health assessments, if necessary. SWIFT is not a crisis response team but acts in a proactive manner to assist at-risk students to address potentially dangerous situations on campus.
C. Make recommendations to College officials on appropriate actions consistent with College policies and procedures.
D. Coordinate the College response to potentially harmful/disruptive situations.
E. Develop and disseminate information to students, faculty, and staff, regarding identification and prevention of disruptive behavior.
V. Reporting Procedures
When a non-emergency report is submitted, either by phone, hard copy, or electronically, the following process is to be followed:
A. Reporter enters a secure site, which is under the supervision of the Vice President of Student Services, the Director of Safety and Security and the Administrative Assistant to the Vice President of Student Services.
B. The report is reviewed and the Student Wellness Intervention Team (SWIFT) is convened if a full inquiry is required.
1. The situation is discussed
2. Individuals may be contacted to gather additional information
3. An investigation is conducted and information is gathered from faculty, staff, coaches, and advisors to see if the student needs to be interviewed.
C. When appropriate, the student is interviewed to determine a plan of action, provide internal resources or refer for evaluation.
D. For persons involved in off campus programming and/or courses at KC Education Centers, referrals will be made to identified sources in each community. Information about a variety of behavioral and mental health issues and resources is available at Kaskaskia.edu.
E. Possible Resolutions or Outcomes:
1. No action taken – case closed
2. Student remains under continued observation
3. Action plan for assistance is developed
4. Referral to appropriate community resources
5. Referral for Code of Conduct violation
6. Recommendation of parental, guardian or preferred support system notification
7. Recommendation for medical leave of absence
8. Recommendation of involuntary leave of absence
9. Recommendation of interim suspension
10. Recommendation of permanent suspension
11. Other action as deemed necessary by SWIFT
The SWIFT procedural flow chart is located at the end of this document.
VI. Confidentiality
A. Kaskaskia College recognizes the importance of maintaining confidentially and conforms to the rules of FERPA. When a student presents as a risk to self or others; however, there is an obligation to report which overrides that student’s right to confidentiality. All campus personnel are bound by FERPA, but this does not restrict information that may affect the safety of Campus.
B. If the student referred to the Student Wellness Intervention and Facilitation Team is already receiving care from an outside mental health provider, information about that student’s relationship may not be obtained by the team from those agencies without written authorization from the student in question, in accordance with Federal and State law.
C. Meeting minutes, reports and additional information gathered in the course of an investigation will be housed securely with the Vice President of Student Services.
VII. Referral Process:
A. For an immediate threat:
Any campus employee or student who feels there is an immediate threat is to call Campus Security at #3199 or call 911. Use 9-911 from a campus telephone.
B. To report a non-crisis situation:
Phone: Contact the Vice President of Student Services at 545-3033. You may still be asked to fill out the report form at a later time for documentation. If the Vice President of Student Services is not available, another member of the team may be contacted instead.
VIII. Risk Level and Intervention Tool
A risk level and intervention tool information and is located at the end of this document.
Advantages to filing a report:
• Behaviors that are inappropriate or unusual can be identified
• Behaviors will be tracked to see if the behaviors/concerns are recurring
• A determination can be made as to whether the situation warrants immediate action or a behavioral intervention team
• Immediate threats can receive immediate action.
IX. What happens to the student in the Student Wellness Intervention and Facilitation Team process?
A. The SWIFT provides students with confidential, respectful proactive support, while offering resources and balancing the educational needs of students with the mission of the College.
B. Campus wide support of the process is essential because staff and faculty are on the “front lines” with the student, often on a daily basis. Together we can help ensure a safe and supportive learning environment. See Flow Chart.
The Flow Chart was taken from Barton Community College Student Wellness Intervention Team conceptualization which was adapted from The Handbook for Campus Threat Assessment and Management Teams by Gene Deisinger, Ph.D, Marisa Randazzo, Ph.D, Daniel O’Neill and Jenna Savage, Copyright 2008.
Approval History:
March 21, 2016