Your Role in Violence Prevention
Introduction
Perpetrators of targeted violence typically premeditate or plan attacks prior to carrying them out, often following a “pathway to violence.” Along the pathway to violence, perpetrators are known to display common warning signs, or “behaviors of concern,” which may be recognized or detected by bystanders (e.g., colleagues, classmates, family, friends on social media, etc.). When bystanders report information to the appropriate authorities, such as the UIC Behavioral Threat Assessment Teams, it creates the opportunity to assess the situation to determine (a) whether someone may be on a pathway to violence, and (b) which management strategies may be leveraged to divert behaviors away from the pathway to violence.
All campus community members have a role in preventing campus and workplace violence by understanding what to look for and how to share concerns. Review the list of behaviors that should be reported (below), and learn how to share your concerns.
Behaviors of Concern
Behaviors of Concern
Behavior that should be reported may include:
- Any physical violence toward a person or property.
- Communicated threats of violence (can be written verbal, electronic, or symbolic), including:
- Direct: Identifies a specific target and is delivered in a straightforward, clear, and explicit manner: “I am going to place a bomb in the lecture hall.”
- Indirect: Tends to be vague, unclear, or ambiguous. It may suggest that a violent act could occur, not that it will occur: “If I wanted to, I could kill everyone on this campus!”
- Veiled: Strongly implies but does not explicitly threaten violence: “We would be better off without you around anymore” or “I’m more dangerous than you think, so do not interfere with me.”
- Conditional: Warns that a violent act will happen unless certain demands or terms are met: “If you don’t fix this situation, I will place a bomb in the lecture hall.”
- Any act, gesture, or statement that would be interpreted by a reasonable person as threatening, such as overt physical or verbal threats, throwing objects or other gestures intended to cause fear, menacing behavior, or making contextually inappropriate statements about harming others.
- Repeated, severe, or escalating instances of interpersonal conflict with peers, colleagues, or authorities.
- Expressions of violent ideation or intention; fixation with mass murder, weapons, or violence generally; or fixation with hate group or violent extremist material.
- Unusual or bizarre behavior that would cause a reasonable person to fear injury or harm due to its nature and severity, which may include: stalking; erratic or bizarre behavior suggestive of mental disturbance or substance abuse; displays of severe paranoia or distrust; nonsensical or incoherent speech.
- Any statements or behaviors indicating suicidality or strong expressions of desperation (feelings of hopelessness or “nothing to lose”.
Know Your Role
UIC CARE Team
The UIC Campus Awareness, Response, & Education (CARE) Team is a multi-disciplinary group of campus officials that work in a proactive and collaborative approach to respond to non-emergency concerns. The CARE Team works to intervene early and develop appropriate courses of action for referred students. The goal of the team is to support students who may be in distress and/or whose behavior is of concern to others before they arise to a crisis. The CARE Team is dedicated to providing support services for students to create the most enriching experience at UIC.
The CARE Team does the following:
- Offers a variety of educational, emotional, and financial services through collaboration with the University and surrounding community partnerships to aid students in their needs for assistance.
- Works to develop Care plans to support students in their success at UIC and to establish a pathway for post graduate success.
- Focuses on maintaining a positive environment that is conducive to the overall wellbeing of students.
- Provides liaisons from a multitude of departments within the university to be able to offer a variety of assistance plans tailored to each individual student.
Deans, Directors, and Department Heads
Deans, Directors, and Department Heads are responsible for the following:
- Distribute the Violence Prevention Plan to unit faculty and staff.
- Assist in the recognition of behaviors of concern by students or employees.
- Notify the unit’s faculty and staff of procedures for reporting and information-sharing about concerning student or employee behavior.
- Liaise with the Behavioral Threat Assessment Teams to review concerning situations.
- Participate in training, drills, exercises, and information sharing, as required.
Faculty and Staff
Faculty and Staff are responsible for the following:
- Become familiar with how to identify students or employees who may need support, assistance, or intervention.
- Maintain awareness of available support services/resources for UIC community members.
- Be familiar with warning behaviors and other behaviors of concern that should be reported to Behavioral Threat Assessment Teams and of the procedures to report.
- Report imminent threats or acts of violence to UIC Police at (312) 355-5555.
- Share information with unit Deans, Directors, and Department Heads when there are concerns about aberrant, dangerous, or threatening behavior exhibited by students or employees.
Students
UIC students are responsible for the following:
- Become familiar with how to identify students or employees who may need support, assistance, or intervention.
- Maintain awareness of available support services and other resources offered by Student Affairs.
- Understand the role of the Office of the Dean of Students and the UIC CARE Team as a resource for requesting (or referring other students for) support or assistance.
- Maintain awareness of warning behaviors and other behaviors of concern that should be reported to Behavioral Threat Assessment Teams and of the procedures to report.
- Report imminent threats or acts of violence to UIC Police at (312) 355-5555.
- Become familiar with crisis resources, including those offered by the UIC Counseling Center and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (dial 988).