XI-3.00(A)

UMB Behavioral Evaluation and Threat Assessment Policy

Public Safety   |   Approved June 28, 2024

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Responsible VP/AVP

Dawn M. Rhodes, DBA, MBA

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Revision History

September 29th, 2017

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Purpose

The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) is committed to promoting a safe and secure learning and working environment for students, faculty, staff, volunteers, visitors, and affiliate employees. The UMB Behavioral Evaluation and Threat Assessment Policy, in adherence with USM VI-13.00(1.B.3), is a permanent multi-disciplinary behavioral assessment team that reviews reports and takes appropriate action on potentially distressed or threatening members of the University community. Threats of violence, violence, and behaviors that are substantially disruptive to educational or institutional activities are inconsistent with UMB’s Core Values and are prohibited.

Policy Statement

UMB aims to provide a safe and welcoming environment for all members of the University community while on campus and at UMB controlled off-campus sites to focus on their studies, research, duties, and responsibilities. UMB will maintain a permanent multi-disciplinary behavioral assessment team, known as the Behavioral Evaluation and Threat Assessment Team (BETA Team). The BETA Team will be responsible for holding confidential meetings to evaluate and review reports of known or suspected threats or acts of aggression or violence made by or against members of the UMB community and take appropriate action. The BETA Team will be compromised of standing and ad-hoc members of the University community.

The University prohibits retaliation against persons who in good faith report violations of this Policy or cooperate in a threat assessment. The University also prohibits individuals knowingly communicating false or misleading information in a threat assessment. Discipline or other action can result from acts in violation of this Policy.

BETA Team Structure

A. The University will maintain a BETA Team to review reports of Threatening, Aggressive, or Violent Behavior and take appropriate  action.

1. The BETA Team will be chaired by the Chief Student Affairs Officer, the Director of Employee Relations – Human Resource Services, and the Chief of Police.
2. The BETA Team consists of appointed, standing representatives from the following offices: UMB Student Affairs, Human Resource Services, UMB Police and Public Safety, and the UMB Student Counseling Center. An attorney from the UMB Office of University Counsel should serve as legal advisor to the BETA Team and should involve the Office of the Attorney General of Maryland, as necessary. The BETA Team may include additional representatives, including from the Title IX Program and the Office of Emergency Management, on a case-by-case or ad hoc basis. The BETA Team roster should be posted on the UMB website.
3. All standing and ad-hoc members of the BETA Team are (1) UMB Personnel who have legitimate Educational Interests in accessing the Education Records of a student involved in an incident referred to the BETA Team; (2) UMB officials with a legitimate interest in accessing the employment records and/or other relevant information of a University Associate; and/or (3) University Associates who have information pertaining to an incident.
4. The BETA Team will hold regular meetings. Special meetings to address reports of known or suspected Threatening, Aggressive, or Violent Behavior may be called by one of the Chairs or their designee, a BETA Team member(s), or at the request of the UMB President, a Dean, Vice President, or Title IX Coordinator. Meetings may be held in person, by conference call, virtual (e.g., Zoom, Teams), or a combination thereof. Alternates may participate if a BETA Team member is unavailable or if an alternative participant is more appropriate for the particular facts and circumstances of the meeting.

B. Nothing in this Policy should be interpreted to require UMB Police and Public Safety or any other law enforcement unit to delay  investigations, arrests, and/or other appropriate law enforcement actions for the protection of University Associates or the public.

C. Nothing in this Policy should be interpreted to require the Office of Accountability and Compliance, Human Resource Services,  Student Affairs, or another unit to delay any investigations, reviews, and/or taking other appropriate action in response to employee or student conduct or performance.

D. All reports and identities of involved University Associates will be shared with others on a need-to-know basis only. (See Section VI.  Confidentiality.)

Definitions

Affiliate Personnel: A person who is an employee, agent, contractor, invitee, or volunteer of an Affiliate.

Aggression: Oral or written statements or physical actions that intentionally or recklessly create reasonable fear or apprehension of, or cause, (1) bodily harm, (2) threat to the safety of another person, or (3) damage to physical property.

Campus: Any location on the UMB campus (including the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC)). Also, any work or education site that is owned, leased, operated, or controlled by UMB.

Educational Interest: Legitimate need of UMB Personnel to review an education record to fulfill their professional responsibilities for the University. These responsibilities include, for all employees, maintaining the safety and security of the University. This exception applies whether or not there is an emergency situation.

Education Records: Records in paper, electronic, photographic, and other formats that contain information directly related to a student and which are maintained in official working files by UMB. This includes reports kept by the BETA Team. Information gained by UMB about a student through observation of or through conversation with the student or others is not an Education Record unless reduced to writing.

Off-campus Site: Locations other than the campus where students, faculty, or staff are assigned to work or study (e.g., clinical placement sites, the Universities at Shady Grove, hospitals other than UMMC). The Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center is an Off-campus Site.

Threat or Threatening: An intentional or reckless indication that a person may commit an act of Aggression or Violence toward a person or thing.

Threatening, Aggressive, or Violent Behavior: Conduct which is objectively or reasonably perceived by another as a Threat, as Violence, or as Aggression.

UMB Personnel: (1) all part-time and full-time students of UMB; and (2) all employees of UMB, including full-time, part-time, temporary, and contractual personnel in any employment category.

University Associates: UMB students, faculty, and staff at Campus and Off-campus Sites; also, volunteers, visiting students and scholars, Affiliate Personnel, and invitees on Campus (e.g., vendors, applicants, clients, patients, museum visitors).

Violence or Violent: Any intentional or reckless act that causes (1) pain or injury to another person; or (2) damage to property.

Scope and Exceptions

This Policy establishes a permanent multi-disciplinary behavioral evaluation and assessment (BETA) team. The BETA Team will review reports of known or suspected Threatening, Aggressive, or Violent Behavior and recommend appropriate action. Review of reports may include known or suspected Threatening, Aggressive, or Violent Behavior (1) in any UMB facility or on any UMB property; (2) in connection with any UMB sponsored, recognized, or approved program, visit, or activity, regardless of location and inclusive of the online environment; and (3) in connection with any UMB personnel. This Policy applies to UMB students, faculty, staff, volunteers, and visitors to the campus and events and activities occurring on all UMB-owned or controlled property, facilities regardless of location, sponsored by UMB or UMB-recognized institutions.

Roles and Responsibilities

BETA Team:

• Develop standard practices for the receipt, triage, and review of any reports that are identified as involving potentially distressed or threatening members of the University community.
• As appropriate, conduct a formal assessment of a reported incident and develop a strategy and plan, which may include communication with the reporting University Associate and the appropriate school/department administrator, development of a safety plan, and coordination of efforts in accordance with relevant policies.
• USM VI-13.00 requires training for the University community and the behavioral evaluation and threat assessment team on appropriate information sharing concerning distressed and threatening members of the University community.

Office of Emergency Management:

• Organize the incident management system in response to an emergency to unify the response across the various University stakeholders. The incident management system enables unified command and control of response measures and activities.
• In the event of a potential or actual human threat, coordinate with UMB Police and Public Safety to ensure execution of prevention and security measures to protect the University and its community. Activities during a behavioral threat emergency might include, but are not limited to, activation of the Emergency Operations Center, activation of an Incident Management Team, sending Emergency Notifications through UMB Alerts, and requesting/coordinating extra-institutional resources.

Title IX Program:

• Address concerns of known or suspected sex- or gender-based discrimination and/or sexual misconduct, including but not limited to any concerns referred to BETA as part of a Title IX-related risk assessment.

 

Reporting:

A. UMB students, faculty, staff, volunteers, visitors, and affiliate employees who are involved in or aware of known or suspected  Threatening, Aggressive, or Violent Behavior exhibited by another University Associate or against a University Associate should report to the appropriate school/department administrators, UMB offices, and/or the BETA Team via the UMB Hotline to take  appropriate actions to address concerns and/or provide support.

B. Individuals may consult with their Human Resources or Student Affairs representative, or UMB Police and Public Safety, who  may contact a member of the BETA Team for assistance in determining whether the BETA team should be convened or if the  report should be reviewed by another appropriate office.

C. In the event of violent behavior or concerns of potentially distressed or threatening members of the University community that  requires an emergency response, report immediately to the Police by calling 911.

D. For potentially threatening or concerning behavior occurring at UMB that is not imminent, UMB Police and Public Safety may  be contacted directly. The appropriate security or police unit will handle known or suspected Threatening, Aggressive, or Violent Behavior occurring at an Off-campus Site in its jurisdiction.

Confidentiality

Deliberations and recommendations of the BETA Team will be kept confidential to the greatest extent allowed by law.

Except as described below or otherwise required by law, BETA Team members are prohibited from disclosing the substance of BETA Team reports or deliberations.

Under UMB policy and applicable law, and to fulfill a professional responsibility to UMB and/or University Associates, it is permissible for UMB Personnel to disclose personally identifiable information and/or other relevant information to other UMB Personnel who have a legitimate Educational Interest in accessing the Education Records of a student, or the employment records of an employee involved in an incident referred to the BETA Team. Similar disclosures may be made to appropriate individuals outside UMB in connection with a health and safety emergency after considering the severity of the matter, the need for information, the time required to address the emergency, and the ability of those to whom a disclosure is made to intervene during the emergency. While all efforts are made to maintain confidentiality, internal investigations of charges or concerns may require the complainant’s identity to be disclosed to the accused or other persons with information necessary to facilitate the investigation.