BIT BasicsJAY COUGHLIN

LORI MEEHAN

PAVAN PURSWANI

MICHELE RICHARDSON

STEPHANIE WILL

The 5 W’s of BITWhat

◦ History and evolution of BIT, NaBITA Standards

Who

Team development and integrity

When◦ Is BIT or CARE right for your campus?

Where◦ The process and tools needed for success

Why◦ BIT’s impact on retention, de-escalation, and safety

WHAT

What Is BITAftermath of Virginia Tech

◦ Initially very reactive- warning systems, door locks, etc.

Move from reactive to proactive measures◦ Most perpetrators give clues over time

◦ If we know about the clues, we can stop violence before it happens

No one group or person sees everything, BIT is a centralized group that can put the puzzle pieces together

Not a crisis response team

The “Active Shooter”When you hear “active shooter” what do you picture?

Stereotyping violence◦ Rage, about to snap◦ Humiliation, bullying, vengeance

Primal Aggressors fit the stereotype◦ Person walks in on spouse cheating and snaps◦ School shooters are almost never Primal Aggressors

Cognitive Aggressors◦ Plan and methodically carry out violence◦ Often willing to give up their life for their cause◦ Disconnection from own well-being, doesn’t actually appear angry at all

◦ Elliott Roger (Isla Vista, CA)

Evolution of BITMany behaviors of concern come from other underlying issues

◦ Homelessness, food insecurity, mental health, learning and cognitive disabilities, family issues (childcare, eldercare, abuse), legal issues (immigration, custody, divorce), traumatic events, monetary concerns, substance abuse

Significant stress causes students to act out◦ BIT can help determine if the student is a genuine threat to the campus

Additionally, BIT has moved beyond just threat assessment to connecting students to resources that foster success

NaBITA Standards for BIT-Structural Elements

1. Define BIT

2. Prevention v. Threat Assessment

3. Team Name

4. Team Leadership

5. Team Membership

6. Meeting Frequency

7. Team Mission

8. Team Scope

9. Policy and Procedure Manual

10. Team Budget

Process Elements11. Objective Risk Rubric

12. Interventions

13. Case Management

14. Advertising and Marketing

15. Record Keeping

16. Team Training

17. Psychological, Threat, and Violence Risk Assessments

Quality Assurance and Assessment18. Supervision

19. End of Semester and Year Reports

20. Team Audit

WHO

Avoiding SilosDefinition-individual department that don’t communicate outside their own walls to the detriment of campus wide threat assessment and behavioral intervention.

BIT Membership ChallengesRepresentation from all relevant departments

Not too small or too large

Scheduling meetings

Making Decisions

Keeping track of responsibilities

BIT Team Structure: The Basic Components

Law Enforcement Mental Health Student Affairs

2018 NABITA BIT Survey-Team membership89% Counseling

87% Police/Campus Safety

74% Dean of Students

72% Student Conduct

57% Residence Life

67% Disability Services

62% Title IX

45% Academic Affairs

39% Case Management

37% Faculty Rep

35% Academic Advising

34% VP-Student Affairs

33% Health Services

25% Human Services

20% Student Activities

Avg. Team Size: 8 People

Inner and Outer Core of MembersInner

◦ Essential members

◦ Meet weekly (bi-weekly)

◦ Main decision makers

Outer◦ Invite to meetings as needed

◦ Advisors

◦ Updates given periodically

BIT Team Leadership Should be a senior student affairs admin who have high levels of authority

First to receive reports

Plans agenda (even when no cases)

Has designated assistant

BIT Team Members (Inner Core)Dean of Students (VPSA)

◦ Often creates team

◦ Serves as leader

◦ First line of contact

◦ Has expertise in student affairs theory. Practice, policy and educational law regarding students

BIT Team Members (Inner Core)Counseling

◦ Mental health consultation

◦ Connection to counseling services

◦ Issue of confidentiality

◦ Talking in hypotheticals

BIT Team Members (Inner Core)Law Enforcement (Campus Safety)

◦ First responders

◦ Security reports

◦ Training with interviewing witness/subjects

◦ Connection with local law enforcement

BIT Team Members (Inner Core)Disability Services

◦ First responder to escalating behavior

◦ May help explain why behavior is occurring and suggest interventions

◦ No accommodations for behaviors that violate code of conduct

BIT Team Members (Inner Core)

Conduct and Title IXMay provide information to put students on the radar

Cases often overlap

Knowledge of resources

BIT Team Members (Inner Core)Case Manager

◦ Helps triage cases

◦ Referrals to community resources

◦ Intervention (mild to moderate cases)

◦ Risk Assessments (SIVRA-35)

◦ Follow-up on students

◦ Record keeping (Maxient)

BIT Team Members (Outer Core)Outer Core

◦ Human Resources (either)

◦ Legal Counsel

◦ Health/Wellness Office (either)

◦ Student Activities

◦ Financial Aid

◦ Athletics

◦ Veteran Affairs

◦ Faculty member (either)

◦ Academic Advisors

WHERE and WHEN

WHY

In July of 2018 the U.S. Secret Service recognized Behavioral Intervention Teams as the most effective method to prevent targeted violence in schools.

In the publication Enhancing School Safety Using a Threat Assessment Model, it is noted that it is best for schools to develop models for assessing threat in advance rather than trying to do so in a crisis.

It also advises that these groups should work to identify students of concern, assess their risk for violence and develop options to reduce the threat to ensure safety.

Source: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/secret-service-endorses-nabitas-approach-to-prevention-of-school-violence-300682760.html

Secret Service Endorses BIT Model

Data on the Connection between BIT and Retention

Data on the link between BIT and Retention is fairly scarce

Because of this, I will focus on the parallels of commonly accepted retention strategies that have significant overlap with the work of BIT.

◦ The rise of the Early Alert Initiative◦ Multi-departmental collaborative venture that assists in making college process more manageable for

students (prevents the Silo effect often discussed regarding Virginia Tech)◦ Additional opportunity for data gathering about practices tripping up students. ◦ Additional opportunity for data gathering about what constitutes an at-risk student at your institution

(Ex. DFW rates, Pro-longed academic programs)◦ Ability to connect students with other successful strategies (Ex. Campus Employment, Career Center,

Academic Support, Enhanced Student Services etc.)◦ Training campus partners to be aware of at-risk students, how to properly refer and become advocate for

students◦ As well as introducing them to process and policy for how to support students and how institutions manage student challenges.

◦ 1 on 1 advising and success coaching for students experiencing challenges.

Source: https://www.hanoverresearch.com/media/Strategies-for-Improving-Student-Retention.pdfSource: https://www.ruffalonl.com/papers-research-higher-education-fundraising/student-retention-practices-report/

Why De-escalation MattersA recent study, published by the Collegiate Times in April 2018, looked at college campus shootings that happened after the April 2007 Virginia Tech shooting, which still remains the deadliest mass shooting at a school in U.S. history. Some of those study’s findings include:

122 people were killed and 198 were injured by gunfire on U.S. college and university campuses in the 11 years following the Virginia Tech shooting

26 of the incidents were mass shootings

148 of the 320 people shot on college campuses were shot in mass shootings (three or more people shot at once)

From the 26 mass shootings, 53 people were killed and 95 were wounded

The most people shot in a single incident was at Northern Illinois University in Feb. 2008 where six were killed (including the gunman) and 17 were injured

The most people killed in a single incident was 10 (including the gunman) at Umpqua Community College in 2015

The second most killed in a single incident was 7 at Oikos University in 2012

Source: https://www.campussafetymagazine.com/university/college-campus-shooting-statistics/2/

BIT Meeting Simulation

Current Issues and Future Trends

Questions?