What should a campus do with a student who is distressed, disturbed, or dysregulated?

The question has taken on extraordinary significance since the April 16 shooting spree at Virginia Tech, and USC's Center for Teaching Excellence sponsored a seminar on the topic May 1. "Crisis Response Inside and Outside the Classroom" attracted a capacity crowd of concerned faculty and offered an overview of University resources available (a downloadable video of the seminar is viewable at www.sc.edu/cte/video_library.shtml).

"As many as 12 to 18 percent of students come to college with a diagnosable mental illness, and we've seen an increase in the quantity and severity of their problems," said Pete Liggett, a psychologist in the Counseling and Human Development Center. "One in two students will experience a significant depressive episode during college."

The University does not mandate counseling for students--professional literature suggests that it doesn't work and is legally and ethically questionable. But up to four sessions of mandated assessment are required when students are referred for certain behaviors, Liggett said.

Intervention with a student who appears distressed or troubled should begin on an individual basis." Be compassionate, accepting, and non-judgmental" Liggett said. Such students should be referred to the counseling center, which often works in conjunction with the Behavioral Intervention Team.

Students who are disruptive in the classroom require a somewhat different approach, and "everyone wants to know the proper response," said Scott Lewis, director of Student Judicial Programs. "It depends on the level of distress, disruption, or disturbance and whether the behavior is escalating."

Lewis counseled faculty members to encourage proper conduct; refer students to the counseling center if the disruptive behavior persists; and report anything that causes concern. "Anything that prevents you from effectively performing your teaching duties should be reported" he said. "Err on the side of caution and let appropriate officials make the determination on the level of intervention needed."

Lewis also urged faculty members to report to his office incidents of erratic behavior, disruption, or self-injurious behavior even if the faculty member intervened. "Then we have a record of their behavior over time in case some action is needed later down the road," he said.

Disruptive behavior should be reported to department chairs and deans as well as the Behavioral Intervention Team (7-4333 or osjp@sc.edu). Behavior that threatens the safety of anyone should be reported immediately to the campus police department by calling 7-9111 (911 if using a campus land-line phone).

Chris Wuchenich

Extreme situations, such as the Virginia Tech shootings, are very rare on college campuses, Liggett said, and not enough data exists to create a profile of potential perpetrators.

"This campus, like others, is far more likely to be victim of a hurricane or some other natural disaster," Lewis said.

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