Behavior Intervention Team

The BIT Team will serve as a central network focused on preventive and timely intervention before a crisis arises. The BIT Team is a resource for East Texas A&M faculty, staff and students by which they can report student behaviors of concern. Examples of such instances include; but are not limited to: behavior that appears to be dangerous or threatening to oneself or others; troubling behavior; angry, hostile, or abusive behavior; or other behavior that is inappropriate or disruptive. In some cases, there may be no violation of the East Texas A&M Code of Student Conduct, but the behavior may evoke alarm or concern among involved persons.

BIT will:

• Receive and gather information about behavior which appears to be dangerous or threatening to oneself or others; troubling behavior; angry, hostile, or abusive behavior; or other behavior that is inappropriate or disruptive involving students.
• Develop specific strategies to manage potentially harmful or disruptive behavior with regard to safety and rights of others and in order to minimize the disruption to the college community.
• Make recommendations to college officials on appropriate action(s) consistent with college policies and procedures.
• Coordinate the college response to potentially harmful/disruptive situations.
• Develop and disseminate informational materials focused on identification and prevention of disruptive behavior.

BIT is not a crisis response team but acts in a proactive manner to assist students once identified and acts to prevent violence on campus.

East Texas A&M recognizes the importance of maintaining certain records for each student which contributes to and confirms the student's educational progress. To protect the rights of students regarding these records, the College has established policies and guidelines which describe the records maintained and provisions for releasing information. These rules conform to State and Federal laws (the U.S. Department of Education guidelines for the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 as amended, known as the Buckley Amendment or FERPA.)

If the student referred to BIT is already receiving care at the University Counseling Center or an outside mental health provider, information about that student's relationship may not be obtained by the team from those agencies without written authorization from the student in question, in accordance with federal and state law.

Official meeting records containing identifying data will be maintained on a private web database with controlled access.

Members of the team may provide each other or faculty/staff involved in a particular case, or outside parties in connection with the situation (such as parents/guardians), information in situations that concern protecting the health and safety of that student or others in the community. The University has the duty to warn members of the community when potentially harmful or dangerous situations have been reported and after a review by campus officials warrant such notification. In these situations, BIT may breach confidentiality in order to warn identified victims.

Members of the A&M–Commerce community may refer students of concern to BIT through a CARE Report. If you believe the student or community is in immediate danger, please contact the University Police Department at 903.886.5111.