Mission, Goals and Purpose
Mission
Missouri State University and the Division of Student Affairs promote student success. The Behavioral Intervention Team’s (BIT) mission is to identify students exhibiting behaviors detrimental to their or other campus community members’ success and provide resources improving opportunities to achieve student success.
Goals
- Provide University members with a confidential methodology for reporting students exhibiting concerning behaviors.
- Develop and maintain an interdisciplinary team of faculty and staff who will assess the need for intervention, formulate meaningful recommendations and strategies, and provide necessary follow-up for the reporter and with the student of concern.
- Identify students facing risks to academic success due to problems in and out of the classroom and offer opportunities to resolve or lessen their problems.
- Collaborate with internal and external resources to assist individual students and the University in resolving behavioral problems.
Purpose
The Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) was founded in the 2003 Fall semester. The Team’s purpose is to be a resource to members of the University community who have a concern about a student’s behavior and need the opportunity to consult with professionals who deal with behavioral issues on a more frequent basis. The BIT provides an organized and coordinated method of assessment of the severity of an incident or situation affecting the University community. The BIT determines the need for intervention, identification and activation of appropriate resources and responses, ongoing monitoring, and evaluation of responses and outcomes. Out of concern for the confidentiality of information disclosed at meetings, compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, and ethical considerations, attendance at meetings is limited to those who are members of the Team or are invited to attend.
Any member of the University community can contact a member of the BIT with a concern. The team member may be able to address the concern without engaging the BIT or may consult with particular other members of the team to alleviate the particular situation. The individual member may present the situation at the next team meeting to gain a critique of the response, obtain additional guidance, or to enlist monitoring of an ongoing issue or concern. Examples of incidents and situations that are addressed by the Team include classroom disruption, behaviors that may pose a threat to the physical safety or well-being of individuals or groups, and conflicts among individuals or groups that have the potential to escalate and pose a disruption to elements of the University community. Additionally, the BIT examines trends in student behavior suggested by observation and information obtained from professional meetings and literature.
Assessment includes a review of available information and identification of additional information that is needed to complete the assessment of a situation. Assessment also includes consideration of the needs of affected individuals balanced against the University community’s needs, the legal and ethical parameters of institutional action and inaction, and compliance with institutional policies and procedures. The determination of appropriate resources and responses includes identification of the offices and/or individuals that will coordinate the response, be actively involved in the response, or need to be advised of the situation and response. Situations that are not quickly resolved may require continued monitoring and assessment. Following resolution of a situation, there may be a need to evaluate the level and effectiveness of response, the impact of an outcome on individuals, groups, departments, and the University as a whole, and any implications for changes in policies, practices, or procedures.