Published: August 30, 2008 06:52 pm      

EKU unveils 911 guide to assist students in distress

Several Eastern Kentucky University offices are collaborating to help members of the university community assist students in distress and prevent or appropriately deal with disruptive behavior.

A new Faculty/Staff 911 guide, the product of an effort involving Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Administrative Affairs, outlines steps to take in dealing with students in distress and defines disruptive conduct and forms of personal abuse. The guide also lists the proper contacts for issues related to aggression, illness, emotional behavior and disability and includes a question-and-answer session on classroom disruption.

“This is an effort to impress upon faculty and staff that they are not alone, that there are very good resources on campus to deal with these issues and, as agents of the university, we need to use those resources,” said Dr. Claire Good, associate vice president for student affairs and dean of students.

EKU President Doug Whitlock referenced the guide in his fall convocation address.

“The tragedy at Virginia Tech underscored the importance of having well-thought-out policies and procedures in place for helping students in difficulty,” he told faculty and staff. “It also punctuated the importance of communicating such policies and procedures to all segments of our campus community and then following those policies and procedures.”

In addition to the printed guide, faculty soon will be able to review various scenarios on the Blackboard Web site. Also, a workshop was presented July 30 from which videotapes will be available for use and a podcast on the subject will be developed, and a drop-in day on Sept. 11 in the Tech Commons will enable faculty and staff to browse informational booths and meet staff from offices that provide related student services.

“It’s incumbent upon all of us to support our students in any way we can and help them succeed,” said Betsy Bohannon, director of the Office of Student Judicial Affairs.

For more information, visit www.faculty911.eku.edu.