Troubling behavior, by the book

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Campus Connect scours student unions, lecture halls and dorms for the crucial and quirky stories that make colleges and universities special. Share what you’re up to on a Friday night, learning (or not) in that lecture - and what you're looking for in a school search as a new student. Higher education reporter Jenna Ross will keep you informed.

Troubling behavior, by the book

Posted by: Jenna Ross Updated: January 21, 2011 - 9:48 AM

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This morning's story, "Colleges balance security, scrutiny," notes that behavior intervention teams -- hundreds formed after Virginia Tech -- are getting a new look after the Tuscon shootings.

The national group for these teams, NaBITA, has an interesting "threat assessment tool," that breaks students' aggression into levels. Here are a few examples, by category:

LEVELS 1-3

Hardening: This aggressor becomes distant and argumentative, demonstrating a lack of understanding and empathy.

LEVELS 4-5

Image destruction: This aggressor plants seeds of distrust with his/her intended victim's community.... In a college setting, this may involve attempts to embarrass students in class, flouting a resident advisor's authority, or instrumental vandalism in residence halls.

LEVEL 6

Threat strategies: This aggressor presents an ultimatum.... We could perceive a student aggrieved at the loss of an SGA election who lashes out at the winner as having stolen the election, or threatens that "no one will be President if I can't be the winner."

LEVELS 7-8

Win/lose attack: This aggressor may be prepared to give up his/her life for this cause but intends to survive.

LEVEL 9

Plunging together into the abyss: This aggressor does not intend to survive, and present with a profound disconnection from his/her own well-being. Detachment or dissociation results in a calm, methodical execution of his/her plan. The so-called "Thousand-Yard Stare" is one indication of this level of aggression.