STONY BROOK, NY, October 17, 2008 – Stony Brook University is a leader among American universities working to make campuses safer according to the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) and the Student Affairs Leadership Council. The two preeminent national organizations recognized Stony Brook’s Behavior Assessment Committee process as an initiative for other universities to emulate when identifying and assisting students who may exhibit safety concerns on campus. NASPA presented Stony Brook with a Silver Medal – one of its highest honors – at its national conference in April. The Student Affairs Leadership Council is a part of the Washington DC-based Advisory Board Company. The Leadership Council conducts research on critical issues on college campuses, and recently published Meeting the Mental Health Challenge: Best Practices for Addressing the Needs of Troubled Students on Campus in which Stony Brook’s best practices were included.
During the 2007/08 academic year, the Behavior Assessment Committee (BAC), which has been in operation since 1996, experienced an increase in cases referred and in the number of mandated evaluations performed. A noticeable increase in referrals has come from University faculty.
“I believe that this increase in referrals and reporting cases on the part of faculty and staff was probably sparked by the heightened concern brought on by the incident at Virginia Tech in the Spring of 2007,” said Dr. Jerrold Stein, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, “as well as a deliberate effort on the part of the newly organized Center for Prevention and Outreach to be a visible resource on campus – not only for students, but also for faculty and staff.”
In addition, and as a result of expanded efforts, the Center for Prevention and Outreach (CPO) was presented the Most Innovative Program Award by the Long Island Council of Student Personnel Administrators, specifically for its outreach efforts with depression screening. During the 2007-2008 academic year, CPO staff and peer educators screened nearly 1,600 students for depression. Research studies have shown that undiagnosed depression is a leading cause of suicide and that screening is a critical tool in helping students early on.
In related news, CPO was awarded a $270,000 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant to expand its suicide prevention work among Asian American students.
“We realized that working with faculty on this very important matter of classroom safety had to be a priority,” said Dr. Stein. “The CPO staff conducted several training workshops throughout the campus, reaching all the new Teaching Assistants and many faculty in academic departments and colleges across the campus.” Stein also noted that most of the students who were referred through the BAC process successfully completed their studies at Stony Brook.
“Our focus was on keeping the message to faculty and staff clear that when it comes to creating a safe environment for learning, early communication with our students and with one another is key,” said Dr. Jenny Hwang, Associate Dean and Director for the Center for Prevention and Outreach. “We convey that no one can opt out of this responsibility – faculty, staff, or administrators – because there’s simply too much at stake.”
These are just two of the many programs and services Stony Brook University has implemented to make the campus safer and caring. Other initiatives include the development and expansion of a Triage Department in the University Counseling Center; the creation of policy to include a statement on behavioral expectations for students in all course syllabi to foster early communication of behavioral expectations; and, expanded outreach to students on critical issues such as depression, sexual assault, and alcohol and substance abuse.
Gary Mis, Director of University Community Standards, was one of a few staff members involved in creating the Behavioral Assessment Committee Process in 1996, long before the incident at Virginia Tech. At the time of its inception in 1996, the Behavior Assessment Committee comprised only of staff members from the University Counseling Center, the Office of University Community Standards (formerly the Office of Judicial Affairs) and Residential Programs. In a continual effort to provide early intervention and support to students, the group has expanded to include representatives from the Center for Prevention and Outreach, the Dean of Students Office, University Police, Disability Support Services, and Student Health Services as well as a faculty member.
“Stony Brook was ahead of its time trying to assess risk and to make sure that the campus was doing everything possible to provide support so that students could complete their studies,” said Mis.
During its weekly meetings, the BAC group reviews new cases and discusses follow-up procedures for cases previously evaluated. It also considers which departments and offices may need immediate outreaching.
, "It is very satisfying to be able to intervene early with such vulnerable students,” said Dr. Anne Byrnes, Director of the University Counseling Center. “Many of them did not know how to get help and were heading toward a full scale emergency. This program is more than a safety net. We see students get back on the path toward graduation."
