Does Threat Assessment Team Know About George Gollin's Death Threats?

[Albert Hidel]

How many of these criteria apply to George Gollin?  What is the University of Illinois doing about it?  Are they really committed to a nonviolent environment or just paying it lip service?  In view of the obvious dereliction of duty coming to light in the Batman theater shooting, is ignoring an obvious nut case really the smartest course of action?

CAMPUS VIOLENCE THREAT ASSESSMENT POLICY

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is committed to a nonviolent environment for all employees and students. In service of its commitment to the welfare, health and safety of all those in its campus community, the campus has developed a comprehensive Campus Violence Prevention Plan (CVPP) which can be found on the Division of Public Safety’s Website at www.police.illinois.edu. The CVPP is also linked to the following websites: Office of the Dean of Students (www.odos.illinois.edu), Staff Human Resources (www.shr.illinois.edu), Academic Human Resources(www.ahr.illinois.edu), and the Faculty Staff Assistance Program(www.fsap.illinois.edu). The CVPP is expressly incorporated by reference into this policy.

What To Watch For

The CVPP is founded on principles of early intervention and proactive engagement to prevent violence and provide supportive services. Based on the assessment that certain conduct may be a pre-cursor to violent behavior, the CVPP has identified thresholds of unacceptable conduct and standardized responses to those who cross those thresholds. Thresholds of unacceptable conduct include, but are not limited to, the following:

1.  Acts and threats of violence towards a specific person(s), unspecified person(s), and/or the campus as a whole.

2.  Significant violent ideations or the expression of violent ideas or the intent to harm others.

3.  Suicidal threat, attempt and/or significant suicidal ideation.

4.  Pattern of physical or emotional bullying and/or intimidation.

5.  Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.

6.  Assuming a stance of being substantially "in-charge" or attempting to control processes, outcomes, or decisions that are inappropriate given the person’s standing or position.

7.  Pursuing options that do not reasonably exist and continuing to do so after being instructed to cease.

8.  Delusional ideation(s) or behavior.

9.  Excessive, inappropriate and/or illegal alcohol and other drug use.

What To Do

Any individual witnessing conduct that they believe may pose an imminent threat to safety, security or health should call 9-1-1 (9-9-1-1 from a campus phone) immediately. If the conduct does not pose an imminent threat to safety, security or health, individuals should contact the Division of Public Safety (www.police.edu or #217-333-1216), the Dean of Students Office (www.odos.illinois.edu or #217-333-0050), their respective Human Resource Office (www.shr.illinois.edu or #217-333-3101 or www.ahr.illinois.edu or #217-333-6747) and/or the Counseling Center (www.counselingcenter.illinois.edu or #217-333-3704).
. . .

VI.  VIOLENCE PREVENTION PROGRAM FOR FACULTY AND STAFF

A.  Thresholds Applying to Faculty/Staff

1.    Acts and threats of violence towards a specific person(s),
unspecified person(s), and/or the campus as a whole.  For example, a faculty/staff member acts violently or makes a threat towards a specific person(s) or towards the community as a whole. This includes all acts and threats that occur at work and in some instances, acts and threats that occur away from work.

2.  Significant violent ideations or the expression of violent ideas or the intent to harm others.  For example, a faculty/staff member expresses the intent to harm others in the absence of an identified individual(s).

3.  Suicide threat, attempt, and/or significant suicidal ideation. For example, a faculty/staff member expresses intent to end his or her life through threat, attempt and/or ideation.

4.  Pattern of physical or emotional bullying and/or intimidation. For example, a faculty/staff member uses force of a physical or emotional nature, or the threat of force to intimidate or coerce others.

5.  Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature.  For example, a faculty/staff member makes unwelcome sexual advances, requests sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature, as defined by the Campus Administrative Manual policy on Sexual Harassment.

6.  Assumes a stance of being substantially "in-charge" or attempting to control processes, outcomes, or decisions that is inappropriate given the person’s standing or position.  For example, an employee wants complete control of his/her work environment. She confronts and criticizes her manager stating if the rest of the work group doesn’t comply with her expectations, she will make it her mission to get her coworkers fired.

7.  Pursuing options that don't reasonably exist and continuing to do so after being instructed to cease.  For example, a faculty member persists in pursuing a tenured track position after being denied such status or a staff member persists in pursuing a reversal of a sanction after exhausting the established appeal process.

8.  Delusional ideation(s) or behavior.  For example, a faculty/staff member appears to be suffering a delusional disorder as defined by the most current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association (including subtypes: Grandiose, jealous, persecutory, and somatic).

9.  Excessive, inappropriate and/or illegal alcohol and other drug use.  For example, a faculty/staff member is known to have used alcohol or drugs at work (in the case of alcohol, other than at an approved university function). Additionally, if a faculty/staff member is known to have used alcohol or drugs away from work that resulted in a criminal conviction.

B.  Responses to Faculty/Staff Who Cross One or More Threshold(s)

1.  University Police are contacted as appropriate to address an immediate threat of harm.

2.  Supervisors and Executive Officers consult with Human Resources.

3.  The employee may be placed on administrative leave while the situation is evaluated.

4.  A meeting is convened which may include a supervisor, unit executive officer(s) and personnel representing Human Resources, Legal Counsel, Office of the Dean of Students, Office of the Provost, University Police and the Faculty Staff Assistance Program to assess and address the situation.

5.  Representatives from the Threat Assessment Team for Faculty/Staff/Public who represent Academic and Staff Human Resources will notify the full Threat Assessment Team for Faculty/Staff/Public when a member of the faculty or staff has crossed one or more of the nine thresholds.

6.  Appropriate employment action is taken as necessary.

7.  If needed, the Threat Assessment Team for Faculty/Staff/Public is convened.

8.  If a situation arises to the threshold of being “Activated” (by consensus of the Threat Assessment Team for Faculty/Staff/Public, an individual is deemed to be of concern), a Coordinator is assigned and an action plan is developed.

9.  Any “Activated” Faculty/Staff member may also be monitored by the Special Situations Group (See Attachment A).

www.dps.illinois.edu/emergencyplanning/cvpp.pdf

  CampusViolencePreventionPlan.pdf (Size: 640.4 KB / Downloads: 1,651)