Protocol

The BIT developed a protocol to ensure that critical student behavior or mental health issues or incidents are addressed appropriately.
There are 3 BIT categories:

1. Self-Injurious behavior/ suicidal thoughts or attempt
2. Erratic behavior (including online activities) that disrupts the mission and/or normal proceedings of University students, faculty, or staff
3. Hospital transport for alcohol and drug use/abuse

When a referral is submitted through the BIT website, each team member immediately receives the report via email. The team evaluates each report during weekly BIT meetings to address the appropriate response to each student.  If a report requires emergency attention, the team members will communicate regarding steps to gain additional information to better stabilize the situation.

The student(s) involved are contacted and are instructed to participate in an assessment at the Counseling and Human Development Center (CHDC). The type of assessment is dependent on the behavior. Students are, at a minimum, required to participate in a 4 session assessment by the CHDC Staff. Students involuntarily hospitalized for alcohol/drug use are required to participate in an assessment and an 8 session group with students who have been involved in similar incidents. While the team is designed to address the most critical student cases involving erratic behavior, many student issues are resolved through soft interventions.

Students who disagree with the intervention may request a meeting with the BIT Chair who may change the intervention to individual counseling or an assessment by an outside agency.  Students hospitalized for alcohol or drug use that refuse the counseling process may elect instead to have the matter handled by the student conduct process.  The BIT would rather address the incident through the counseling process than have a student resort to the student conduct process, however the team will leave the decision to the student.

Students who fail to comply with the request for assessment and/or to complete the assessments/groups will also be referred to the University’s student conduct system and may be separated from the institution and/or charged under the code of conduct with a “failure to comply with an official university request” charge.

Care-olinian Provision

Who is it for?
USC students who may be in violation of the alcohol policy who call for help (911, RM, Hall Director, etc) for their peer who was involuntarily transported to the hospital for alcohol/drugs. 

Why was it established?
To create a caring environment that encourages students to be accountable for the safety of other students. As a measure of good faith, the conduct administrator will take into consideration a student’s willingness to help a friend in need when considering findings and sanctions.  The university cares more about the safety of its students and will be flexible in handling corresponding violations. 

Students who are involuntarily transported:
will be given the option to participate in counseling with CHDC and have no student conduct hearing, record of violation (records are maintained for 6 years), or police citation for alcohol through the University.  Students who elect not to participate in counseling will proceed through the OSJP process as would any other student with an alcohol policy violation. 

Students who call for help:
will also be given deference for doing the right thing and will not receive a student conduct record, though they will meet with a judicial staff member to discuss the severity of the incident and may receive sanctions.