NCHERM On-Site Consultation

Workshops

NCHERM offers a wide-variety of workshops that cover many different topics, such as:

Behavioral Intervention and Threat Assessment
Campus Conduct Training
Student Mental Health
Training for Athletics
Training for Fraternity / Sorority Members / Advisors
Workshops for Faculty
Student Affairs and Other Administrative Law and Risk Management Topics
Campus Sexual Misconduct, Sexual Harassment and Title IX
Training for Residential Life
Training for Campus Law Enforcement
Prevention and Risk Reduction

**Please note that all workshops are designed as 90-minute presentations, but one-hour and extended versions can be done for each topic**

WORKSHOPS BY TOPIC

BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION AND THREAT ASSESSMENT

Workshop Descriptions

FERPA COMPLIANCE

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or Saundra Schuster and/or John Wesley Lowery

FERPA is an important privacy protection for students, but its importance has taken on mythic proportions on some campuses. Isn't it time to shed the myths and base our compliance on the facts? This 1.5 hour session is a common-sense walk-through of FERPA that can be addressed to administrators, faculty and/or staff. We take the legalese out and focus on FERPA as a communication tool, rather than an impediment to successful communication. Here is a outline of the topics we'll address:

Definition of Educational Record
Exceptions
Sole Possession Records
Law Enforcement Records
Counseling Records
Health Services Records
Letters of Recommendation
Release Internally
Legitimate Educational Need to Know
Deference
Release Externally
Parents of Dependents
What is a dependent
How to verify
What can be released
To Whom
Release to Public
Release to Law Enforcement
Release to Victims
Drug/Alcohol Parental Notification
Emergency Health and Safety Exception
Financial Aid Records
Subpoena
FERPA and Confidentiality Laws
FERPA Enforcement

One, Two and Three Day CUBIT Trainings

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or W. Scott Lewis, and/or Saundra Schuster

A one-day training on the CUBIT model can be either a basic or advanced training. The basic training day focuses on ideal team formats, membership and operation. How teams receive and process reports will be addressed, as well as risk classification and intervention techniques. We'll look at on-call mechanisms, recordkeeping, privacy, confidentiality and communication challenges, with a briefing on FERPA, HIPAA and counselor confidentiality. The advanced training day looks at team integration with other campus risk mitigation strategies, such as admissions screening, criminal background checks, and CIRT/EMT coordination. We'll explore more effective partnerships and communication with local agencies and resources, and a deeper exploration of the mental health and disability issues that often challenge teams. We will explore the role of ADA/504 in involuntary medical withdrawals, and how to make direct threat determinations. This training will also examine the role of teams in coordinating campus behavioral contracts, no contact orders and persona non grata orders as well as the need for longitudinal tracking of students by teams, follow-up and a mechanism for minding the gaps. Two-Day trainings will combine these two trainings, or allow you to combine the advanced training with a threat assessment training for a two or three-day advanced curriculum. Click here to view the sample training agendas for our one-day, two-day and three-day training options .

Threat Assessment Training

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or W. Scott Lewis, and/or Saundra Schuster

This is a comprehensive training on the NCHERM Threat Assessment Tool. It can be done in 2 hour, half-day and full-day variants. Participants will learn how to use tool, with four measures of mental health related risk, five generalized risk measures and nine measures for aggression. With this tool, teams can accurately assess the potential for harm to self, harm to others, and harm to facilities/operations/reputation. Once the tool is explained, participants will work through 15 scenarios to assess the risks of each, and then to strategically deploy intervention tools to address those risks.

Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) Training for Faculty

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or W. Scott Lewis, and/or Saundra Schuster, and/or Brian Van Brunt

Campuses around the country are forming behavioral intervention teams and getting the word out to faculty and staff on the critical need to report concerning behavior. While we offer a workshop on how faculty should respond to concerning behavior, this workshop is specifically for faculty on what they should report to their behavioral intervention team, when and how. Faculty are "sensors" for purposes of campus threat assessment, and understanding the function of a sensor as an early warning mechanism is the purpose of this training. We cannot simply expect a culture of reporting to exist, we have to foster it. Faculty need to understand their role in the process, how much detail to provide, how much subjective "guesswork" to include, what happens when the team receives a report, what feedback will be given to the reporter, and what will remain confidential. We need to engender a culture that passes along all concerning behavior that reaches the level of a "red flag." What is a "red flag"? This session will provide the answer, along with advice not to minimize the seriousness of incidents, to report when in doubt, so that we err on the side of caution. Who knows what else is being reported to the team about the same student by other members of the community? What may seem minor to one faculty member might seem like an avalanche when the team puts all of the pieces of the puzzle together. This training incorporates details from your campus behavioral intervention team for seamless integration and enhanced reporting.

Classroom Management: Preventing and Responding to Disruptive Students In and Out of The Classroom

Presented by W. Scott Lewis, J.D.

Over the last ten years, there has been an increase in the number and severity of behavioral incidents in the classrooms and on campuses. More and more, it is incumbent upon instructors to intervene in the classroom to address behaviors that can interfere with teaching and learning. Using a combination of lecture and case studies taken from actual incidents, this workshop will provide instructors with tools to appropriately address these behaviors. Participants will be provided with skills to prevent disruptive behaviors, to react to them, and tips on how to enhance their own campus procedures to address abhorrent behaviors.

Length: One and a half hours; two hours; half day; full day and two day versions

Learning Outcomes:

Participants will:

Gain a perspective on trends in behaviors on higher education campuses
Gain a perspective on the realities of campus responses to incidents of classroom disruption
Be able to utilize pedagogical methods and teaching strategies to reduce the probability of disruptive behaviors
Be able to develop and/or utilize individualized syllabus statements for class management
Be able to appropriately respond to disruptive behaviors in and out of the classroom
Be able to assist their home campuses in policy development in the area of classroom management

Workshop Outline:

I. Introductions

a. Participant Question Submission

II. College and University Behavioral Trends

III. Campus Policy analysis

a. Sample policies

IV. Analyzing behaviors

a. Disruptive behaviors

b. Distress behaviors

V. Preventive Measures

a. Syllabus statements

b. Pedagogical methods

VI. Reactive Measures

a. Addressing behaviors in the classroom

b. Addressing behaviors outside the classroom

c. Appropriate intervention techniques

VII. Case Studies

VIII. Question and Answer

The Disruptive Student – A Training For Faculty And/Or Staff

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or W. Scott Lewis, and/or Brian Van Brunt

Whether in the classroom or the residence hall, more and more campus faculty and staff members report varying levels of behavior by students this is disrupting the academic environment. For some, it’s student wearing hats, obscene t-shirts, skirts too short, or shorts pulled too low. For others sleeping in class or buffoonery are disruptive. For others it’s cellphones, texting and IMs. For others, it’s dark imagery and threatening language in classroom assignments or discussions or students who are worrying their hallmates with eating disorders, depression or threats of suicide. This workshop is a discussion of best practices for managing a wide range of disruptive behavior. Should you confront it? Where? When? How do you confront it? Should police be called? The counseling center? What if I am the target of a threat or retaliation? How much is too much, and what are the thresholds for removing students from class? How can students be dismissed from classes or housing? What are appropriate statements for syllabi and housing contracts?

You Know Your Stuff, But Can You Connect? A Facilitation Training for Peer Educators

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow

Peer education is a powerful tool for prevention and risk reduction. Many campuses use peer education to great effect. Peer education is most effective when the training provided to peer educators is of high quality. Two of the toughest skills for peer educators to master are the art of facilitating dialogue, and how to answer student questions creatively and accurately. This workshop will provide you with training from one of the most skilled facilitators addressing high risk student health and safety issues on college campuses today. Brett has faced the toughest questions students have, and has learned what answers provide the best educational impact. He has faced tough facilitations, heckling, disinterested students and defensive students. He is expert at creating connections with audiences, and opening men and women to dialogue on sensitive issues. In this workshop, he will share his strategies for success with you.

Men Educating Men: A Training for Male Peer Educators

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow

Men talking to men. Men role-modeling for men. Men intervening with other men to do the right thing. These are powerful images for campuses struggling with gender climate issues. A male-led peer education model is becoming more and more popular, and this workshop can focus on forming such a model, or can provide training for those who are already engaged in this effort. How do you talk to men without putting them on the defensive? What does a male emotional vocabulary consist of, and how can we break though stereotypes, communication barriers and group-think? These are the questions this workshop will offer constructive answers, activities and strategies to address.

Best Practices for Campus Behavioral Intervention and Threat Assessment

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or W. Scott Lewis, and/or Saundra Schuster, and/or Brian Van Brunt

Since the tragedy at Virginia Tech last April, many colleges and universities have started to take on the challenge of behavioral intervention. Seconding that decision is the clear instruction of the Virginia Tech Governor’s Panel to colleges and universities: “Incidents of aberrant, dangerous, or threatening behavior must be documented and reported immediately to a college’s threat assessment group, and must be acted upon in a prompt and effective manner to protect the safety of the campus community.”

The remaining question now becomes what is the best model for doing so comprehensively and effectively? From a collaboration of a team of experts and the melding of the best intervention practices from schools across the United States, has evolved a comprehensive model for a formalized College or University Behavioral Intervention Team (CUBIT).

CUBIT is an acronym for College and University Behavioral Intervention Team. Colleges and universities utilize a variety of models to respond to students in distress. From CARE teams to BIT models, higher education has recognized the need for more effective intervention functionality. If the shootings at Virginia Tech in April of 2007 prompt nothing else from other campuses, our hope is that this tragedy will be a catalyst for other campuses to formalize and revise their current behavioral intervention efforts.

While it is conceivable that many models can be effective in addressing the rising tide of student mental health issues and disruptive behavior, the CUBIT model addresses the myriad concerns about students in distress and synthesizes the range of Virginia Tech Governor's panel recommendations cohesively, while translating some of their ill-fitting outsider’s recommendations into the language and capacities of institutions of higher education.

The four key elements that set this model apart from common intervention model are that:

CUBIT incorporates a formalized protocol of explicit engagement techniques and strategies;

CUBIT is undergirded by sophisticated threat assessment capacity, beyond what typical colleges currently possess;

CUBIT facilitates a comprehensive reporting culture within the institution, supported by accessible data collection software with integrated threat assessment tools;

CUBIT intentionally integrates with campus and community resources such as crisis management plans, emergency response procedures, CISDT protocols, and existing campus risk management programs addressing sex offenders, criminal background checks and admissions screenings.

This session will outline a model of best practice and offer innovative ideas in prevention, identification, and early intervention in respect to threat assessment and behavioral intervention. With some variation in implementation as you adjust the model to suit the needs, constraints, resources and capacities of your community, we offer the CUBIT model in our idealized conception, as the most far-reaching, comprehensive and engaged model of its kind.

Content Training for Peer Educators

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or Brian Van Brunt

This training is especially useful for fledgling peer education programs or new peer education classes without much prior training. In this workshop, Brett discusses foundational information about sexual assault, problem drinking and hazing. Facts and stats are covered, as well as typical questions and useful ways to present information. Different modes of peer education, from single-sex workshops, to in-class training to peer theater are discussed, and different successful peer education models are highlighted. The Bystander concept is introduced and its importance to peer education is shared.

Strategic Programming

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow

This workshop will share the concept and design of a four-year programmatic strategy addressing high-risk student health and safety issues. The goal is for campus programmatic efforts to be developmental, progressive, consistent, and message-reinforcing. We’ll discuss the importance of a master calendar and a centralized programming office or committee. We’ll talk about programming boards and student activities and ask where the campus topic specialists are based on campus. Themes or topics need to be chosen and narrowed. Maybe this year the focus will be on hazing and campus climate, with less emphasis on some other issues. Maybe alcohol and sexual assault are your top priorities. We’ll look at whether there are times of each year when programming on this topic makes more sense than others? And, we’ll discuss how a progressive curriculum can be devised and implemented, taking students though an accretive process where one program builds upon the last, toward a level of competence that can be assessed and demonstrated.

Student Suicide: What College and University Administrators Need to Know About the Law and BestPractices

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow, and/or Carolyn Reinach Wolf and/or Saundra Schuster

College and university administrators are all trying to find the right balance for managing the risk of suicidal students while doing the utmost to support them. We are grappling with tough questions, and this workshop gives you fresh thinking and creative strategies for exploring the best practices for suicidal students that are emerging in our field. From questions of approaching suicidality as a conduct violation to the merits of involuntary medical withdrawal procedures, this workshop is comprehensive. It will address the “direct threat” test mandated by ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Re-entry will be discussed as will suicidality as a disability, pretext issues, and what are reasonable accommodations. Mandated assessment and behavioral intervention models will also be reviewed. HIPAA, FERPA and confidentiality limits as they pertain to crisis and recent wrongful death cases against colleges for suicides will be explored.

Legal Issues for Campus Counselors and Therapists

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or Carolyn Reinach Wolf

Every campus struggles with questions about what counselors should know, what they should disclose to others, and how should they straddle the sometimes divided loyalties between their employment obligations and their professional ethics. This workshop offers a legal update on pressing issues for campus counselors and therapists, including:

Confidentiality of Records;
Clarification of FERPA: fact/fiction;
Release of information between and among health care providers and HIPAA
Administrators and law enforcement;
Parental notification;
Duty to warn;
Documentation of Records;
Campus Risk Management;
Security and Safety Concerns: Before and During a Crisis.

Search & Seizure on Campus: A Law and Policy Best Practices Update

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or W. Scott Lewis, and/or Saundra Schuster

When the marijuana is found in your room, it’s hard to argue that you’re not in possession. So, students challenge the legality of the search. In fact, college students have been suing colleges and universities for allegedly illegal room searches for over 40 years. These cases have been mostly sporadic and infrequent, and we thought we had a pretty good handle on 4th amendment challenges to student room searches. Yet, search & seizure has recently become big news again, with a spate of incidents and cases involving Santa Clara University, UMASS, Amherst, the University of Houston, George Washington University, the University of Maryland and other campuses. Not all the cases involve public universities, as the recent state action cases at Harvard University and Mercer University demonstrate. Perhaps it is time to revisit the best practices and legal contours of this issue again on your campus. This workshop will take you through state action, administrative searches, search procedures, reasonable scope, warrant requirements and exceptions, plain view, the smell of marijuana as probable cause, reasonable cause, admissibility of evidence in conduct hearings and prosecutions and other relevant search-related topics.

Criminal Background Checks for Students and Staff: A Law & Policy Update

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or W. Scott Lewis, and/or Saundra Schuster

Recent actions by legislatures in North Carolina and Virginia have framed the question of whether colleges and universities should (or must) perform criminal background checks (CBCs) on incoming students. The case of Tiffany Williams v. the University of Georgia tells us the potential liability that can be created by recruiting students known to have criminal histories. Already, standards of practice for background checks of staff are well-established, and broadening standards for student-staff such as RAs are being debated. This workshop will help participants to gain a thorough understanding of the current state of practice, where it is heading, and what the implications are for this trend of broadening background checks in higher education. Topics include:

How do we establish a university-wide policy and administer it consistently?
How do we identify and define sensitive positions?
Determining how broad a check to perform – credit histories, state checks, DOJ/FBI 50 state and federal checks?
Is it appropriate/necessary to perform CBCs for residential life and other student-staff?
What are the implications for performing CBCs on all incoming students; Is this a best practice?
What role do sex offender registries play in this issue?
Does the undertaking of CBCs create a legal duty for purposes of negligent hiring causes of action (and possibly negligent admission?)?
What due diligence is required once a CBC is performed?
Does the federal update service create a continuing duty of care?
Can IHEs recruit/hire those with criminal histories, and what are the ramifications?
How do CBCs relate to questions about criminal history on admissions applications?
What is the best practice for informing a subject that a CBC will be performed?
What is an appropriate records retention policy for CBC results?
What can we learn from UC Berkeley’s CBC Review Committee Model?
Is there a difference between an arrest and a conviction, with respect to CBCs?

Title IX Sexual Harassment Compliance Workshop

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or Saundra Schuster

If yours is like most colleges, sexual harassment is one of your top five liability areas. Yet, most colleges are not compliant with the legal mandates of Title IX as they pertain to sexual harassment, let alone best practices for the field. Title VII gets all the attention, but employment-based claims are yesterday's news. Student-on-student claims are way up, and student affairs administrators are not as well prepared as HR for the investigation and resolution of these issues, especially when the sexual harassment has a physical component. This workshop can be addressed to faculty, administration, staff, students or other pertinent groups, helping colleges to assure compliance with Title IX, proper reporting, and appropriate responses.

Risk Management Strategies for Student Organizations

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or W. Scott Lewis

More and more institutional risk is arising from the activities of student organizations, from fraternities to the mountain-climbing club. A structure for helping these organizations to monitor their own risks, and give oversight to college officials is highly beneficial. Some colleges have such systems, and they are well-developed. Others do not, or are just starting to help student organizations manage risk. This session is a primer on just how to craft such a system, and the ingredients needed to make it work.

Hazing Risk Management

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or W. Scott Lewis

Hazing within Greek organizations, bands, teams, ROTC or other student groups is part of a culture. Most who haze know it is wrong, and often illegal. Prohibiting hazing is not enough to stop it. Hazing is secret—hidden underground and accepted by those on whom it is inflicted. Zero tolerance sends an important message, but risk management will be more successful when each group has a chance to reflect on its practices, confidentially identify those that are high-risk, and then work to problem-solve, either to change the practice to make it lower risk, or to abandon the practice. But, if the practice is to be abandoned, how can we create a meaningful, positive ritual, initiation, tradition or bonding experience that will replace it. This workshop is a nuts and bolts effort to eradicate hazing for high-risk groups. It can also be done as a trainer training.

Student-On-Student Sexual Misconduct Prevention Program

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow

90% of college sexual assault occurs in the presence of alcohol or other drugs. How alcohol affects sexual consent is THE issue. Students don't get it. They go out, get drunk, hook-up, with no thought for the consequences. This interactive program, "Drunk Sex or Date-Rape: Can You Tell the Difference" has been presented on over 800 college campuses. Brett Sokolow facilitates this interactive program where the audience gets to be the jury—based on a real life case. The jury hears the facts, learns the law, and takes a vote on guilt/innocence. No two juries vote alike, and students are outspoken in their views. The case is controversial, and a great conversation starter. Students think about what incapacity means, and how it impacts sexual consent. More importantly, they reflect on their own behaviors and choices.

Faculty Consensual Relationships Policy Development

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or Saundra Schuster

Faculty are resistant to limitations on their abilities to fraternize with students and amongst each other. Rightfully so. This workshop encourages faculty to take on voluntary restrictions, or implement self-goveranance policies—to great effect! Faculty often view these policies are as attempt to take away their power or rights. Another perspective is shared that enables faculty to see these policies as strong self-protection. Different policy models are explored, and rational language is proffered. Extending the policy to staff, to RAs, and creating exceptions is all in the details. Sometimes, faculty believe that if they enter into a relationship with a student, there might be penalties. This workshop is more about eliminating power differentials and the potential for ugly legal consequences for pursuing romantic liaisons at work.

Problem Drinking Risk Reduction Program for Students

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow

"Ten Things Every Student Should Know About Drinking" is a non-conventional approach to alcohol education. "Ten Things" is not about having a dry campus or telling students not to drink. It will reinforce those students who choose not to drink, or to drink moderately. But, many of our students are going to drink no matter what we do—so the goal of this program is to get them drinking smarter and drinking more safely. "BUT YOU CAN'T TEACH STUDENTS HOW TO DRINK! Anyone can get behind the wheel of a car and figure out pretty quickly how to get it to move. But, classes and licenses are needed to understand advanced control and the rules of the road. Drinking is no different than driving in this regard. It involves a skill set to be done safely and properly. No one is teaching this skill set to students for fear that they will drink or drink more. Most of our students are going to drink. They are going to endanger themselves. We have an obligation to help them build the skill-set that will allow them to reduce their risk. Doing so will have a long-term behavioral impact, because it changes how students process and control their drinking. That's what this program is all about.

Changing the Drinking Culture of the College Campus

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow

Dozens of colleges have attempted to break the hold of alcohol over their campuses. Dozens of colleges have failed. Is going dry the right answer? Getting rid of the Greek system? Will that really reduce risk, or just transfer it? What other approaches are available, and how effective are they? This session is a how-to recipe for colleges that truly desire to change their cultures, and don't want to fail as so many others have. Brett Sokolow is a change agent and expert problem-solver who has the knowledge and experience to help colleges accomplish very difficult goals. What's standing in the way of success? Are students part of the strategy? How environmentally holistic is it? Is there a comprehensive educational strategy that is sufficiently funded and staffed? Does social norming play a role? How? How is the strategy being introduced to the community? Are consistent messages being sent? Is it an evolutionary or revolutionary strategy? Are traditions being abandoned? Can we anticipate a reaction from alumni, parents and/or donors? All of these questions and many more are addressed, adding up to an honest opportunity for a safer campus.

Students with Disabilities & Emotional Problems—Best Practices for Tough Times

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or W. Scott Lewis, and/or Saundra Schuster, and/or Brian Van Brunt

The writing is on the wall. College administrators know that in the next ten years, this will be one of the toughest issues colleges face. ADA and 504 litigation abounds, and the Office for Civil Rights has now decided that it's not enough to treat a disabled student fairly, it's more a matter of how you treat them fairly (Guilford College Decision, 2002). From classroom disruption to overbooked counseling centers to suicidal students to judicial affairs offices that are asked to make exceptions for a student's disability, colleges are facing a crisis. Out of this morass, certain best practices are emerging, as ever more complex questions are arising. This workshop helps college administrators to understand what is coming, and to plan today for the issues colleges will face tomorrow.

Sexual Assault Response—Training for RAs and Other Key Personnel

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or Saundra Schuster and/or Brian Van Brunt

A student comes to you, seeking help in the aftermath of sexual violence. Will you have any idea of what to do? What are the best practices for helping a victim in need? What is the critical information you need to convey to someone who has just been assaulted? Will certain practices help the college to provide better assistance, thereby reducing the potential for liability? What is the significance of paper bags? Who should collect evidence? Should a victim shower? How long can the hospital collect bodily fluid samples? Will insurance cover an emergency room visit? What is a SANE? All these critical questions, and their answers are part of this useful training.

Clery Act Compliance—Is Your Campus Reporting Crime Accurately?

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or John Wesley Lowery

This law was passed fourteen years ago, and most colleges still don't get compliance right. This is a nuts & bolts session on assuring accurate, full and correct compliance with the mandates of this campus crime reporting and recordation law. What are the 15 Clery Act crime categories? How do the geographic requirements work? What is the hierarchy rule and how does it work? Why are you reporting non-forcible sex offenses—I bet you're not likely to have any. How does your crime log look? It is complete and available? Are annual reports made available correctly, and are they distributed to prospective students and employees? What are the new requirements for reporting campus registered sex offender information? Brett Sokolow wrote the book on Clery Act compliance (The 1999 Clery Act Compliance Manual).

Conduct Training

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or W. Scott Lewis, and/or Saundra Schuster

NCHERM consultants have trained conduct boards at over 500 colleges and universities. They are available to visit your campus for several different types of conduct trainings.

NCHERM offers general trainings on due process and fairness issues, in either half-day or full-day formats (4 hours or 6+ hours).

NCHERM also offers specialized training for sexual misconduct complaints, together with the general training above, or as a separate training, either in a half-day or full-day format.

NCHERM also provides an advanced deliberation training, focusing on the four steps of the dialectical process and an analytic for processing complex cases and multistep-violation cases. This training is six hours. Our conduct trainings have four formats:

Half-day: four hours of on-campus generalized training on procedural rules, fair process, questioning skills, and evidentiary considerations.

Full-day: six hours (or more) of generalized conduct training, including information from the half-day session, plus information on using expert information, precedent, sanctioning, gestics, and more mini-cases to train on.

Sexual Misconduct Board Training: available in half-day or full day versions (a lot of colleges do two halves, the general training and the sexual misconduct training). This training takes the skills of the other trainings, and applies them to the specific context of sexual misconduct, such as how to apply investigation findings, how to interpret medical and alcohol evidence, how to deal with past sexual history issues, and evidence about things like rape trauma syndrome.

Dialectical and Deliberation Training: six hours. This training focuses not on the hearing, but on the skill of applying policy to a complex set of facts through a five-step analytical method. It focuses on how we determine violations and deliberate on responsibility.

Legislation and Litigation Update

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or W. Scott Lewis, and/or Saundra Schuster and/or John Wesley Lowery

NCHERM consultants provide workshops on cases and litigation in higher education law, updating you and your staff on important precedents, and compliance issues. Workshop topics feature updates on FERPA, HIPAA, Section 1983 actions, 1st Amendment, HEOA, the Clery Act and the Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act, Title IX and other current issues.

Code of Conduct Revision

(on-site or off-site)

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or W. Scott Lewis, and/or Saundra Schuster and/or John Wesley Lowery

Has it been more than a year since you revised your student conduct code? If so, it's time to take a look, and update your code. Let NCHERM's expertise make it easier for you. Policy writing is what we do, and the four options below describe how we do it. Send us your conduct code, and we'll provide you with a written report, identifying areas of weakness, suggesting policies that you may want to consider adding, and highlighting areas where recent cases or legislation suggest or demand changes. We'll help to bring you up to date on both policies and judicial procedures, and we'll do it for a fraction of the cost that others might charge.

NCHERM POLICY REVISION SERVICE: This is our most popular revision service, offering you a written report detailing the areas of your policies (policies only—this service does not revise procedures-see below) that need attention, and offering guidance for how improvements can be made. The report offers suggested language to help improve your code and address ever-changing trends in student behavior and ethical development. Language is not based on cookie-cutter models, but is custom-crafted to suit your institutional policy style and philosophy.

NCHERM POLICY AND PROCEDURE REVISION SERVICE: This revision service offers you a written report detailing the areas of your policies and student conduct procedures that need attention, and offers guidance for how improvements can be made. The report offers suggested language to help improve your code and address ever-changing trends in student behavior and ethical development. Language is not based on cookie-cutter models, but is custom-crafted to suit your institutional policy style and procedural philosophy, with special attention on reducing risk via streamlined procedures, modifying legalistic procedures, and making your proceedings transparent and accessible.

TIME TO RESTRUCTURE THE CODE OF CONDUCT:You need help and you know it. The policies of your code of conduct haven't been revised in 7 years or so, and are no longer adequately serving your community. Yes, you could borrow codes from other institutions (thereby perpetuating their possible mistakes), or use the ever-popular model code (which too few institutions take the time to modify and adapt to fit their communities). Or, you can work with policy experts at NCHERM to custom-create a code of conduct that speaks directly to the needs of your community. An option to restructure conduct procedures can be added to this service.

UNDER FIRE? MAKE SURE YOUR CONDUCT CODE WON'T BE SEEN BY THE COURTS AS A SPEECH CODE:This policy review service is for colleges and universities that value free speech and want to ensure that their codes of conduct do not inadvertently prohibit speech protected by the first amendment. Today, colleges are being attacked and sued by interest groups such as the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) and the National Association of Scholars. It is possible to create reasonable expectations for campus civility without trampling on the rights of free speech. Let NCHERM help you strike a constitutional and workable balance. This policy review service examines only those areas of your code that address speech and expressive conduct (such as discrimination codes, creeds, mission statements, freedom of speech statements, harassment provisions, and the like) to help you guarantee the constitutional rights of your students. You may be surprised at what we might find. A written report will detail problem areas and offer suggestions for alternative language and phraseology.

Sexual Assault/Harassment Training for High-Risk Populations

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or W. Scott Lewis, and/or Saundra Schuster

This is a specialized training for coaches, greek leaders, and/or athletic leaders on risk management of sexual assault and sexual harassment. Topics include how to recognize problematic conduct, how to intervene, how to help a victim, best practices for responding to a complaint, legal duties of reporting, confidentiality, informal reporting, recordkeeping, and retaliation. Special considering is given to false-reporting, investigation responsibilities, the rights of accused students, and the special vulnerability/responsibility of students of campus prominence, such as greeks and athletes.

Risk Management Strategies for Student Affairs and Student Conduct Administrators

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or W. Scott Lewis, and/or Saundra Schuster

Colleges and universities have been faced with a startling rise in litigation over the last decade. Anyone can file a grievance with your institution: employees, students, faculty, parents, and the community.. And many of them often do.

With the cost of litigation and settlement, you should carefully examine your policies and practices, and – more importantly – teach ALL of your employees’ basic risk management principles.

Student Affairs is home to the services and programs that are particularly vulnerable to legal action: Student Activities, Greek Life, Study Abroad, Counseling, Community Service, Student Conduct, Behavioral Intervention – the list is long and the issues are complex. Having a campus full of “risk managers” will make your campus safer. Period. Having Student Affairs take the lead in this area is critical.

Length: 1 ½ to 2 hours

Topics that will be covered include:
• The 5 Types of Risk/Crises on campuses
• Student mental health
• Student conduct
• Involuntary withdrawal
• Disability law
• FERPA’s effects on communication and the implications for campus safety
• The changing tenor of government investigations of colleges and universities
• Personal liability for college administrators
• Best practices in staffing and training
• The Future

Audience:
• Student Affairs Administrators
• VPs and Directors of Student Affairs
• Campus Legal Counsel
• Campus Security Professionals
• Directors of International Education Programs
• Public Relations Personnel
• Student Services Providers
• Health Care Providers
• Campus Risk Management Officers
• University Auditors

Investigation Training (Civil Rights)

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow

In this workshop, Brett Sokolow will provide four hours of intensive training on a model for civil rights investigations on college campuses. Such a model can be utilized to address all instances of violence, bias-related incidents, hate acts, stalking, sexual assault, and sexual harassment. The training will feature and explication of the model, a discussion of who should serve as investigators, necessary training elements, cross-functionality, and best practices for investigation procedures.

Best Practices for Responding to Campus Sexual Violence

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or Saundra Schuster

It happens on every campus. Students, mostly women, are victimized by sexual violence. Every college has a duty on the prevention side, but also a duty to respond to incidents when they occur. This seminar will establish two effective paradigms for quality-controlled campus response and victim assistance. Role definitions, crisis service, protocol and other relevant topics will be discussed.

Best Practices for Campus Sexual Misconduct Policy

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or Saundra Schuster

This workshop identifies and discusses seventeen critical elements for establishing a proactive campus sexual misconduct policy. It explores each element in depth and examines its applicability to your campus culture and environment.

Best Practices for Sexual Misconduct Board Procedures/Hearings

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or W. Scott Lewis, and/or Saundra Schuster

This workshop identifies best practices for adjudicating sexual misconduct on college campuses. Composition of conduct bodies, separate boards, standards for decisionmaking, deliberations, evidentiary issues, appeals and dozens of other pertinent issues will be discussed on this topic of great potential liability.

Risk Management Training for Campus Law Enforcement Personnel

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or W. Scott Lewis, and/or Saundra Schuster

This workshop offers a broad discussion of law enforcement related risk. From staffing to training to federal compliance, this workshop helps to identify best practices and strategies for implementing risk management principles to reduce law enforcement related risk. Basic principles of risk management are shared, and special attention is given to the special difficulties of enforcing and law policy in a campus setting.

MyFace, Spacebook and Other Issues of Technology for Students

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or W. Scott Lewis, and/or Saundra Schuster

This one-hour presentation is an honest look at the pros and cons of technology in student's lives. The idea is not to paint a bleak portrait of technology, but to encourage viewing technology as a powerful resource that must be used responsibly. How to use it responsibly is the point of this presentation.

The litany of social networking sites grows daily, and the most popular are Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Xanga, MyYearbook and LiveJournal. They draw millions of students into connection with each other, but are just as likely to glamorize sex and drugs as they are to connect people of similar backgrounds, interests and hobbies (yes, I know some people consider sex and drugs their hobbies). But, do students realize that employers check candidates out on MySpace? The hits for your name on Google can make or break whether you get that job offer. And, now that everything you post to the Net is archived forever at sites like www.zoominfo.com, it is almost a guarantee that your antics now WILL come back to haunt you when you're 40. Every picture. Every image. Every docYOUmentary on YouTube.com.

Students regard sites like Facebook as private, but they are public. Privacy settings and discretion in the amount of personal information revealed will help students to protect themselves from Cyberstalking, Cyberbullying, identity theft and other hazards of the online world. Students need to know that anything they post to an Internet site is no different than if they had nailed it to their front door or room door. If university officials find evidence of misconduct or crime, students should expect consequences. This isn’t unfair. If you’re 19 and choose to place a picture of yourself drunk, holding a beer on the outside of the door to your room, your RA will not ignore it. Facebook and other sites are no different.

The same issues of privacy and discretion impact the blogosphere, and this presentation will touch on online research tools, term paper piracy operations, Wikis and other dubious sources of information. The presentation will conclude with some helpful information about hardware, including proper use of cellphones, cameras, and digital images.

This presentation can be done as a small-group workshop or as a program for large student audiences. An accompanying PowerPoint presentation is available.

1ST AMENDMENT

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or Saundra Schuster

Some of the most difficult and complex student and organizational behavior issues that arise are those that involve the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It is critical to understand the issues related to speech, religious expression, the student press or rights of assembly. It is also important to remember that “speech” may take many forms and that many methods of expression are constitutionally protected. Rapid technological advances have spawned an increasingly broad milieu of venues for expression; not only on campus but around the world. Consequently, administrators must consider student expression that is beyond simply the spoken word on the campus proper.

While the First Amendment may seem fairly straightforward, the reality is that at public colleges and universities, the First Amendment is often inadvertently or purposefully violated and First Amendment issues remain complex, dynamic and vexing. Key to what critics allege are collegiate “speech codes” are our policies on diversity and harassment. “Free speech zones” and discrimination by religiously-affiliated student organizations are also hot buttons. Our policies and practices must be reviewed and revised so as to withstand constitutional scrutiny.

Public colleges and universities strive to create a learning environment that is truly reflective of the “Marketplace of Ideas” while supporting and enhancing the educational experience of traditionally marginalized, and historically vulnerable, individuals and groups. Providing a balance between these two aspirations creates challenges to the campus that are charged with emotion, and constrained by law, leaving campus administrators with the critical question of “who can say what, where and when”. Too often, conflict is played out very quickly and publicly, with intense media scrutiny, and a legal challenge. This leaves little time for concerted analysis.

An increasing number of legal challenges to our institutions on the basis of in 1st Amendment rights include the following issues:

• Campus Speech Codes
• Harassment Policies
• Campus Access Policies
• Literature and Posting policies
• Student Organization Recognition
• Student Press
• Campus Mascots
• E-Mail banners/signature Lines
• Free Speech Zones
• Diversity policies and training

The 1st Amendment isn’t an all-or-nothing concept, however, and there are ways that institutions can put structures in place to maintain the campus for its primary purposes of teaching and learning without abandoning the principles of the First Amendment.

More colleges and universities have unconstitutional “speech codes” now than when they were first introduced in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Having been found to be consistently unconstitutional by a number of courts, why have they resurfaced as a perceived “control mechanism” on college campuses?
How have anti-harassment policies required by federal law become de-facto speech codes in practice? Can guidance gleaned from previous court cases be used to help develop common sense space and facility use policies? What other policies and procedures related to the First Amendment should be critically reviewed?

This presentation provides an in depth review of the broad scope of 1st Amendment challenges facing colleges and universities today including: space and facility use of campus and outside groups; organizational recognition; academic freedom of students and faculty; posting and literature distribution; use of signs and displays; sound amplification; registration requirements; identification of specific speech zones and other common questions. All areas of discussion are accompanied by presentation of relevant case law.

This highly interactive workshop will both educate and challenge. It can be designed for a 2 hour session, a 4 hour session or a full-day session

Resident Advisor Training: Best Practices and Essential Tools

Presented by Brian Van Brunt

The seminar will focus on offering training to resident directors (RD’s) and housing directors interested in improving the quality of their resident assistant training programs. The seminar will include a detailed review of existing RA training programs (both online and paper based) along with suggestions for best practice. My approach will be to provide “something for everyone” looking to improve or start up a RA-training program.

Brian will offer practical examples and scenarios useful for training staff to implement in their existing resident assistant training program. Case scenarios will be offered for training staff to use with their RA’s along with supportive articles, web links and additional readings.

The presentation will be useful to those looking to create new RA-training programs and those who are looking for ways to improve their existing programs

The seminar will include detailed explanation of:

Explaining Basic Communication micro-skills through role-play
How to teach threat assessment to RA’s in a post V-tech, NIU world
How to approach odd and strange students (Asperger’s, personality disorders)
Teaching Balance: How to manage RA job duties and student responsibilities
Teaching Crisis management: Importance of referrals (counseling, academic sup, ADA, Health)
Developing a team (icebreakers, conflict management, group dynamics)
Applying student development theory to residence hall life
Effect use of supervision and support services
Working with international students, theme housing
Marketing and advertising (themes by year, how to market program)

A handout packet will be provided which will provide trainers with a wide variety of examples, case scenarios and links to helpful websites

Practical Suggestions for Improving Your Counseling Website

Presented by Brian Van Brunt

This training or consulting session is designed for those who are interested in developing and improving a college counseling website that is relevant and useful to students, parents, faculty and staff. As a Counseling Center Director at a small, northeast private College—and more recently at Western Kentucky.

Brian has been interested in exploring innovative ways to reach students who might otherwise not come into counseling services.

Many websites provide basic contact information for students seeking services and may include links to some online brochures and resources—such as those found at the counseling village, the Jed foundation or Ulife. Best practice websites are dynamic in nature, interactive with students and provide creative, innovative content—serving as both a front-door for the counseling center—as well as an online support for those unwilling or unable to physically come into the center.

Brian begins this training with a discussion of how best to survey your community’s needs for a counseling center website—talking directly to stakeholders about their concerns and desires. He offers practical handouts of the survey forms used and a detailed analysis of the results collected.

The bulk of the presentation will be spent discussing practical ways to add content, links and design suggestions to simplify and improve your current website. We will discuss the pros and cons of question and answer pages, the use of peer-to-peer support networks such as webtribes, facebook and myspace and how to customize online screenings and referrals.

Brian will discuss the hurdles of working with your IT department, developing content within your university’s design requirements and the use of third-party vendors for design and maintenance.

This training/consulting will allow others to benefit from the experiences Brian has had designing two college counseling websites. Example websites and content links will be given throughout the online demonstration. Brian makes multiple handouts and follow-up support available to ensure you are successful in your efforts. This training/consulting will be useful for those with existing websites looking for best-practice ways to tweak and improve your outreach. It will be equally useful for those just beginning the process of website development---looking for ideas and examples of best-practice.

Suicide Gatekeeping & Mental Health Awareness for the Resident Advisor

Presented by Brian Van Brunt

This seminar is designed to assist resident advisors in their training process to better understand the mental health concerns of today’s college students. Numerous studies have highlighted the increasing number of today’s college students coming to school with an increasing number of mental health difficulties including depression, anxiety, adjustment problems and social difficulties.

This seminar will offer training to future and returning RA’s in the areas of suicide awareness and referral, an overview of various mental health concerns experienced by college students (depression, anxiety, adjustment problems, learning difficulties, substance abuse, eating disorders and social difficulties).

This training will offer practical examples of theory and application for the RA’s, will include testing and certification. The program will also include take-away scenarios to discuss after the classroom experience.

Many schools offer some version of RA training that discusses mental health and suicide concerns of the incoming class. Some of these trainings involve connections with counseling departments on campus, some involve resident directors reading up and teaching on mental health concerns. This program offers a succinct summary of the mental health concerns common to incoming students in both residential and community college scenarios. The training is research based and provides schools with documentation and certification that their residential life staff has been trained in key areas of mental health and suicide prevention.

Learning Objectives:

RA’s will be able to identify key risk-factors associated with depression, anxiety, adjustment disorders, learning disorders, personality disorders, social problems and eating disorders.

RA’s will learn how to approach students with these difficulties and work towards improving communications with them. Special focus will include those with difficult personality disorders such as antisocial, dependant and borderline.

RA’s will learn how to properly refer students to the appropriate offices for treatment and assistance.

RA’s will learn how to identify the signs and symptoms of suicide. They will learn the proper way to intervene and refer students to counseling for further assessment.

RA’s will learn ways to address students who are abusing substances, including the importance of intervention, reporting and not leaving them unattended.

Identifying and Referring Suicidal Students for Student Leaders

Presented by Brian Van Brunt

This seminar will offer training to student leaders in the areas of suicide awareness and referral. Training will offer practical examples of theory and application for the student leaders. The program will also include take-away scenarios to discuss after the classroom experience.

Learning Objectives:

Participants should be able to identify the signs and symptoms of suicide. They will learn the proper way to intervene and refer students to counseling for further assessment.

Participants will learn what questions to ask suicidal students to gather more information and what questions should be avoided when talking with suicidal students.

Participants will learn how to properly refer students to the appropriate offices for treatment and assistance.

Participants will learn the importance of direct questioning, developing a better knowledge of their campus counseling resources and the risk-factors associated with suicidal students.

Reducing the Odds of a Lawsuit: What we can learn about our day to day practices from recent court cases

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and/or Saundra K. Schuster and/or W. Scott Lewis

New laws and cases continually impact the day to day work of administrators (student, academic and business affairs) and faculty. With travel budgets and time at an increasing premium, it has become increasingly difficult for colleges and universities to keep up with all of the changes. This workshop, available only from March 1 to November 1 of each year, will synopsize the changes in legislation and case outcomes from the previous year in real world, pragmatic, applicable terms.

This workshop is designed and can be tailored to: Chief Executives, Chief Academic Officers, Chief Student Affairs Officers, Chief Human Resource Officers, General Counsel, Academic Deans, Student Affairs Deans, Student and Staff Conduct Administration, Risk Managers, Disability Services, Human Resources Professionals, and Athletics Staff

The workshop may cover the following topics:

An update and complete synopsis of cases from the last year on:
Sexual Harassment and Misconduct, including Title VII, IX, and § 1983
First Amendment Issues (Student Organizations, Free Speech/Expression, Freedom of Association, Student Press)
Faculty and Employment Issues
Liability and Risk Management
Student Conduct and Behavioral Issues
Search and Seizure Issues
ADA/Section 504
Intellectual Property Issues
Athletics
A discussion highlighting key decisions in your region
Federal legislative update on the Higher Education Act Reauthorization
Plain spoken interpretation of case law and legislation that can be easily applied on your campus
Practical insights from experienced practitioners on how these cases and regulations impact day-to-day decision making on your campus
A glimpse toward the future with a look at trends and issues that are “on the radar” for the upcoming year
A opportunity for one on one consultation with the presenter(s) (2 day workshop only)

This workshop can be presented exclusively for your campus, or can be hosted by your institution for regional attendance.

Length: One or Two Day; or customized to meet your campus needs

SAMPLE AGENA

DAY ONE

8:30 – 9:00am

Registration

9:00 – 12:00pm
- Case Law Review
12:00 – 1:15pm

Lunch

1:15 – 4:00
- Case Law Review

DAY 2 (or substitute/mix & match the following for the afternoon of Day 1 to create a one-day event)

9:00 – 12:30pm
- Federal legislative update
  - Higher Education Act Reauthorization
  - Implications for other Legislation, Including:
12:30 – 1:45pm

Lunch

2:00 – 5:00pm

Consultation/mini-audit of compliance on your campus (choose 2-4 topics to address)

Collaborative Programming: How to Increase Attendance, Reduce Cost and Improve Effectiveness

Presented by Brian Van Brunt

This session is designed for student affairs professionals looking to increase their programming through collaboration with various departments within student affairs, athletics and academics. We will examine natural pairings for successful educational programming between departments to increase program attendance, reduce financial burdens and create pathways for future programming opportunities. The program will cover practical examples of successful program planning between various departments with a special focus on creative advertising, increased attendance and cost-sharing. We will also explore ways to improve the program assessment.

This program will benefit student affairs departments in their programming planning. These departments would include:

Health Services,
Residential Life,
Greek Life,
Student Government,
Athletics,
Counseling,
Academic Departments,
ADA and
Orientation directors

Learning Objectives:

Participants will learns ways to effectively co-sponsor programming with various departments

Those attending will increase their programming offerings throughout the year.

Participants will develop educational programming which also meets academic department needs, increases attendance and enhances cost-sharing.

Participants will learn ways to better develop co-sponsored programming to increase attendance, reduce cost and share on advertising costs.

Participants will leave with practical examples of how to best assess the effectiveness of their programming and outreach.

Review of College Alcohol Programs — Best Practices

Presented by Brian Van Brunt

This seminar will discuss the most common approaches to alcohol educational programming on today’s college campuses and universities, and the best practices being identified by the research. Dr. Van Brunt will discuss the benefits of creating these programs from scratch, building them from existing resources and making an informed decision in choosing among the available commercial programs.

Participants will:

Explore a rubric to compare existing alcohol education programs to assess how well they might fit for their campus. This will highlight the differences between existing programs in terms of cost, primary vs. secondary/ tertiary programming (this would be programming to all students vs. programming to at-risk or sanctioned programmed.

Identify the features that their campuses need in different settings (freshman orientation, judicial sanction, and talks with campus clubs. Here the difference might be talking about primary, secondary and tertiary programming---those designed at the average population, at-risk, and policy violators

Show how to customize or create an alcohol education program for each audience

Receive “take-aways” that the audience can use in their own programs.

Show the differences between alcohol education and alcohol abuse prevention, and why understanding this difference can help you focus your efforts.

Working with Pushy Parents — Faculty Professional Development

Presented by Brian Van Brunt and/or W. Scott Lewis

This training is designed to assist faculty members in working with parents who approach them on behalf of their student. These meetings may happen over the phone, at scheduled meet-and-greet events at parent’s weekend or during orientation. Often times, these parents become overly pushy, needy and aggressive with faculty in order to attempt secure better treatment and grades for their children.

The training will highlight the importance of understanding the motivation for parent behavior, how to use these crisis moments as teachable moments for both the student and parent, setting early expectations in the syllabus regarding parent contact, how to make appropriate referrals to other university officials and the benefits of having gracious conversations.

Motivating Non-Traditional Students

Presented by Brian Van Brunt

We all know coming back to college later in life, even with a few years difference, can make students feel awkward, under-prepared or generally frustrated. This training will address ways student affairs staff can assist non-traditional students in being more successful in their academic pursuits.

This training will discuss ways to help students become more connected with the college campus community, remain motivated in and out of the classroom and adjust expectations that college students are all the same.

The training will offer staff practical advice to work with non-traditional college students, develop programming to better connect them to the campus community and find ways to inspire and connect them more closely to the college experience.

Helping Students in Broken Relationships: Ten Best Practices

Presented by Brian Van Brunt

We’ve all had a student approach us (whether an RA, student worker or general college students) who keeps dating “that guy/girl” or ends up in bad relationship after bad relationship. We’ve given them advice, tried to talk them out of getting back together with the “loser”, but often to no avail. Student Affairs staff is on the front line of giving advice, helping students in broken and dysfunctiona or even abusive dating relationships.

This training is designed to offer student affairs professionals some practical advice, handouts and guidelines for helping students in, out of and through the difficult dating relationships in which they find themselves.

Dr. Van Brunt will offer suggestions for student affairs staff on how to better advise students seeking help. They will discuss dating warning signs which will assist staff in identifying problematic relationships that could turn into violent and dangerous relationships. He will offer practical solutions to help students move away from these relationships and discuss tools that can prevent recycling past mistakes in future dating decisions. Participants will also discuss the positive, healthy signs students should be aware of when assessing their dating relationships.

The main focus of this training will be on relationships that are currently unproductive or problematic, but have not crossed over into violence or sexual assault. With that being said, Dr. Van Brunt will discuss more serious signs of relationship violence and the role of a proper referral to student conduct, counseling and campus police.

Preventing Staff Burnout

Presented by Brian Van Brunt

The presentation will start with case examples of staff burnout. Dr. Van Brunt will highlight how various student affairs professionals are at-risk for cumulative stress build-up and resulting burnout. He will focus on Resident Assistants, Orientation Leaders, Judicial Affairs personal and other “front line” staff.

This presentation will help those front-line staff reduce the risk of cumulative stress and resulting burnout. Student affairs staff work in a climate of vigilant threat assessment, growing numbers of students with mental illness, learning disabilities and social problems. The presentation will offer an understanding of how stress impacts staff over time as well as offer suggestions for coping with immediate staff burnout concerns and preventive ways to address burnout before it occurs.

There will be a discussion of various types of burnout that front-line helpers experience (emotional reactions, physical reactions, cognitive reactions). This will include a review of behaviors, emotions and language related symptoms supervisors should be aware of.

Dr. Van Brunt will provide a review of relevant research and theory on how burnout occurs in staff and suggestions for follow-up reading through books and web resources.

There will be a discussion of how supervisors can address staff burnout and stress reactions as they happen. This will focus on crisis management and ways to deal with critical reactions as they manifest (e.g. blowing up in staff meetings, yelling at students, slamming doors, hitting desks). These will include mindfulness, body-scan and calming exercises.

Participants will be given several preventative strategies to address staff burnout before it happens (through support, setting appropriate boundaries, use of downtime, empathy training, cycle breathing).

There will also be a discussion of how to address team development and the implementation of rewards and positive feedback throughout the semester.

Finally, Dr. Van Brunt will review “at-risk” situations and times of the year that increase risk of staff burnout.

Who’s On Your Emergency Management Team? And Are They Really Ready?

Presented by Bill Kibler and Maureen Connolly

You have written your campus emergency plan and have community members assigned to the team. But is your campus really prepared for whatever crisis it may encounter? Research shows that schools have formed crisis management teams but that only a small percentage are really prepared for crisis.

Your campus community contains students, staff, faculty, and visitors. Your plan needs to cover every aspect of your community. In order to comprehensively attend to every facet of your campus and everything that could happen you need representation from a wide variety of the community on your planning team.

Do your faculty and staff have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities?

Training options:

Review of Your Campus Emergency Plan: Before coming to your campus our team of experts will review and evaluate your campus emergency plan. Evaluation ratings are based on how well your plan aligns with the recommendations of FEMA and the U.S. Department of Education Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Best Practices. Our team will present the findings to you in either a written report and/or presentation.

Best Practice Review: In a participatory lecture format our team will review with your team best practice case studies. We will discuss events that occurred at other colleges and universities and examine what they did well and where their outcomes may have improved had they used an alternative crisis intervention, remediation or recovery method.

Our experts will come to your campus and facilitate a tabletop drill based on scenarios that could occur at your campus.

We will design and conduct a survey of your faculty and staff to find out their confidence level in your plan.

Association Rights, Institutional Non-Discrimination Policies, and Student Groups

Presented by John Wesley Lowery, Ph.D.

In recent years, legal disputes have arisen out of the denial of recognition to student groups which refuse to comply with non-discrimination policies. Disputes have often involved religious groups and prohibitions against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or religious belief. This presentation examines the competing claims: the students’ association, free speech, and free exercise rights, and institutions’ efforts to prevent discrimination. (60-90 minutes)

Campus Activism: Promoting Campus Dialogue and Student Development

Presented by John Wesley Lowery, Ph.D.

This presentation examines the history of campus activism in American higher education and the constitutional protections which ensure students’ rights to engage in protest. The presentation encourages student affairs professionals to view campus activism as an opportunity for encouraging student learning rather than a disruption to be managed or limited. (60-90 minutes)

Federal Mandates and the Administration of Student Conduct

Presented by John Wesley Lowery, Ph.D.

This presentation is designed to offer participants in the Training Institute a comprehensive overview of the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act for student conduct administration. The changes required with the passage of the Higher Education Opportunity Act will also be addressed. (90 minutes to 3 hours)

Red Flags Rule (Identity Theft) Compliance Training and Consultation

Presented by Saundra K. Schuster, J.D.

At the request of Members of Congress, the Federal Trade Commission has delayed enforcement of the “Red Flags” Rule until December 31, 2010, for financial institutions and creditors subject to enforcement by the FTC. The Rule was promulgated under the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA), in which Congress directed the Commission and other agencies to develop regulations requiring “creditors” and “financial institutions” to address the risk of identity theft. The resulting Red Flags Rule requires all such entities that have “covered accounts” to develop and implement written identity theft prevention programs to help identify, detect, and respond to patterns, practices, or specific activities – known as “red flags” – that could indicate identity theft. NCHERM Partner Saunie Schuster has developed a comprehensive Red Flags Rule compliance consultation for colleges and universities subject to the Rule. This consultation can be adjusted to fit your institution's individual needs, and is available in half-day, one-day and multi-day lengths.

NCHERM has contracted with R. Eugene Schuster, President of Synerg~Ed, a technology and enrollment services consulting firm, to partner with NCHERM on the Red Flags Project. Mr. Schuster, a former president of the American Association of College and University Registrar and Admissions Officers, retired from the CIO’s office at The Ohio State University. He has over 30 years experience in higher education systems administration and development. View a detailed sample outline of this consultation.

What clients are saying about Red Flags training:

Saunie and Gene are very knowledgeable and approachable. The scenarios were helpful and the “red flag documentation” activity at the end gave us the opportunity to talk about what we were doing right and what we need to improve upon. I think the feedback from the sessions that Saunie is bringing back is critical for an effective program.

~ Sharon Mills, Dean of Administration

Community College of Allegheny County-South Campus

The Anatomy of a Lawsuit

Presented by W. Scott Lewis

“Drink up!” These were the last words John’s friends said to him before he died of alcohol poisoning. He went into a coma and then passed away, leaving behind friends, family, and a devastated campus.

In this interactive program, students will participate as parties involved in a lawsuit that resulted from a student death. They will learn and understand the roles played by the college, the administrators, plaintiff’s lawyers, defense lawyers, insurance companies, the families of the injured/deceased, and related organizations (fraternities/sororities, clubs, etc) in these actions, as well as the emotional and physical fallout.

Although the subject matter is serious, Scott engages the students with his entertaining presentation style. This 1 -1 ½ hour program is designed for all student organizations, and teaches about risk management, hazing, and decision-making. It has been presented for Greek organizations (as both a new member seminar and member education), student leaders, and athletics. It can be done for large or small audiences.

Watching the Train Derail: A Program On Student Suicide, Threatening Behavior and Bystander Intervention

Presented by W. Scott Lewis

“If I kill them and myself, will they stop following me?”

These words, scrawled across a test that was turned in to a professor, started a chain of events that culminated in spending 6 hours in an apartment negotiating a potential active shooter crisis with a very disturbed student. What was more disturbing was what I learned in the follow up investigation: that a number of people, students, staff and faculty alike, had seen behaviors that were, at the very least concerning – but no one said anything.

I saw the same pattern emerge in the death of a student from alcohol abuse, where others were injured as well. Unfortunately, these situations are not isolated to the college environment, and our students will continue to face them after they enter the workforce. Teaching them the skills and confidence to intervene will serve them beyond graduation.

In this engaging and interactive program, students (and staff and faculty) will be asked to answer questions about disturbing behaviors that they have seen and people they may know who may pose a threat of harm to themselves or the campus community

Questions such as:

Do you know someone you would never want to be alone with late at night?
Do you have a friend who you are concerned about? Why?
Do you have a friend who you won’t drink with?
What keeps you from saying something to someone?

In this program, Scott challenges students to reconsider their notions of responsibility for their fellow students and their community. It teaches early warning signs, intervention techniques, and what to do with a situation that gets complicated quickly.

Mental Health or Behavioral Concerns – this is a valuable support tool to your Behavioral Intervention Team
High Risk Drinking or Drug Use – This version can be presented to large groups, but is generally more effective with smaller audiences. It can also be done for targeted student leaders to assist in changing campus cultures through peer education.
Student Suicide – Risk Factors, Gatekeeping, and Support

How Not to Get Kicked Out of School

Presented by W. Scott Lewis

Student-Athletes live in a unique subculture on campus that many do not understand. Drawing from years of working with athletes as a peer, a professor and as a campus conduct administrator, Scott will walk your student athletes through the potential pitfalls that exist exclusively for them in the college environment, and give them pragmatic tools for surviving in and out of the classroom.

Topics will include:

Questions NEVER to ask a professor!
Things your professor doesn’t know (but should)
I didn’t invite them into my room…
Why does my RA hate athletes?
What if I get written up or pulled over?
Being a target – in and out of the classroom
My FaceBook page – it’s mine, right?
Alcohol, Drugs, and Sex

Scott has worked with athletes and coaches for over 15 years, and continues to mentor athletes today. His focus is not abstinence-based education, but offering practical advice that will help student-athletes to realize their potential off and on the field/court/course/pool, etc. This program can be coupled with a program for coaches and athletic department staff on personal liability, Avoiding Lawsuits and Bad PR: The changing legal landscape for athletic administrators and coaches.

Avoiding Lawsuits and Bad PR: The changing legal landscape for athletic administrators and coaches

Presented by W. Scott Lewis

Remember when Title IX was only about equity and parity of programs in athletics?

Did you know (and do your coaches know) that you could incur personal liability for the actions of your players, staff and grad assistants?

Have you hired a former player to be an assistant coach?

Do you know what your employees know about behaviors including sexual harassment, sexual assault, and substance abuse? Did you know you are required to?

This 1 to 3 hour program, designed expressly for coaches and athletic department staff, will outline recent cases that have changed the face of their potential personal liability, and will give them the knowledge and tools to better protect themselves, the department, and the institution.

Issues that will be addressed:
Managing student and staff complaints about Sexual Harassment and Sexual Assault
What is “deliberate indifference” and what are “reasonable actions?’
What should I do (and not do)?
What about rumors?
What’s retaliation?

What about student behavioral concerns, including those that may be mental health related?
How should I deal with the Student Conduct office? (You may want to invite them to this program!)
Do you and your staff know what you have an absolute duty to report (as opposed to an optional duty)?
Do you know what level of confidentiality you and your staff have?

For the longer program, departments will be able to submit scenarios and questions to be addressed (discreetly and/or confidentially) beyond those mentioned above.

Scott has worked with athletes and coaches for over 15 years, and continues to mentor athletes today. He will draw on his first hand experience as a campus administrator and faculty member working with both large and small athletic departments.

Law 101 for Faculty: Avoiding Lawsuits

Presented by W. Scott Lewis

FERPA, The ADA, Section 504, HIPAA, Title VII, Title IX, Section 1983, Tort Law…. whew! These are just a few of the legal landmines that faculty are expected to know how to manage – all while maintaining their research, publication, service, and teaching requirements!

Unfortunately, ignorance is not a defense if you fail to meet your obligations under these laws. And, without proper training, faculty members can expose themselves and their institutions to costly and embarrassing complaints and litigation from students, parents and colleagues. Adjunct faculty, graduate teaching assistants and distance education instructors are the “lost populations,” receiving minimal (or no) training and development in these areas.

This 1 ½ to 2-hour program will provide all faculty members with the necessary tools and information to understand the legal concerns that most commonly impact them and how to best prevent litigation.

Topics that will be covered include:

Recent court decisions that apply to college faculty
Faculty implications of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Students’ speech rights in class
Types of assignments that may expose faculty to legal challenges
Defensible policies for use of cell phones and laptops during class
Avoiding common classroom mistakes that can provoke a legal suit
Errors in judgment that can lead to harassment complaints
ADA and disabilities in the classroom
Sexual harassment and students
Sexual harassment and faculty
Affirmative “duty to report” requirements

A question and answer period will allow faculty to present their issues and scenarios for candid expert opinion. These can be submitted anonymously ahead of time.

Audience:
This workshop is designed for everyone who can be held accountable for knowing and implementing legal mandates, including:

Adjunct Faculty
Distance and Online Education Faculty
Professors, including Assistants/Associates
Deans, including Assistants/Associates
Department Chairs
Provosts and Vice Provosts
Assistant/Associate Provosts and Vice Provosts
Other Academic Administrators
Teaching Assistants

Law 101 for Academic Administrators

Presented by W. Scott Lewis

We live in a litigious society. Open any given issue of The Chronicle of Higher Education, Student Affairs Today, or any major newspaper and you will see examples of institutions facing legal challenges on every front. Academic Administrators can find themselves on the wrong end of lawsuits, subpoenas, and other legal threats. Academic freedom and the First Amendment in the classroom, managing, disciplining and terminating faculty when necessary are just a few of the issues that keep Provosts, Vice Provosts, Deans, and other academic administrators up at night! Then there is the ongoing problem of sexual harassment and misconduct in academia, which creates a series of headaches (and lawsuits and potentially large financial settlements)!

For academic administrators, it can be nerve wracking to consider the legal ramifications of making mistakes when you are just trying to do your job! Proper training is the key to managing and understanding the legal risks without losing the ability to perform effectively. Using actual case studies, this workshop will teach the best ways to manage challenging administrative situations and reduce risk.

Length: 1 ½ - 2 ½ hours

This workshop covers:
• Legal basics that apply to college administration
• Title IX implications
• Employee discipline and termination
• Academic freedom and the First Amendment
• Sexual misconduct law and expectations
• Recommended policy review practices
• Syllabi review recommendations
• Appropriate complaint response
• Preventive law techniques
• The court system’s increasing willingness to review internal policies and practices
• Evolving management and disciplinary procedures for a new generation

Audience:
All college officials responsible for supervising or overseeing employees and faculty members, including:
• Provosts/Vice Provosts
• Deans and Assistant/Associate Deans
• Department Chairs
• Senior Academic Administrators
• VPs and AVPs for Academic Affairs
• Section/Department Managers
• Directors and Assistant/Associate Directors
• Faculty Association Chairs/Representatives
• Faculty Senate Chairs/Representatives
• Assistant/Associate/Full/Adjunct Professors
• Union/Collective Bargaining Representatives for Faculty

STAY CENTERED - Handling Disruptive People (in Your Office/Class/Hall)

Presented By W. Scott Lewis

More and more, front line office staff, residence life staff and office managers find themselves having to manage unruly students, parents, and visitors in their office environment. Preventing the disruption before it begins is key, but managing difficult people is a learned – not innate – skill. Using proven techniques, Scott will draw on actual cases from his experience managing office environments and his training in diffusing difficult situations to teach participants how to prevent and handle these delicate situations by “staying centered.” Scott has presented these techniques to over 1,000 managers and supervisors in the corporate and higher education environments, as well as to front line student staff and law enforcement.

Length: 1 ½ - 2 ½ hours

Audience:
• Office Managers
• Front Line Administrative Support Staff
• Residence Life Staff
• Faculty
• Campus Safety

Learning Outcomes:
Participants will...
• Gain a perspective on trends in behaviors
• Be able to utilize methods and strategies to reduce the probability of disruptive behaviors
• Be able to utilize methods and strategies to respond, react and diffuse disruptive behaviors

Workshop Outline:
I. Introductions
II. Understanding the disruptive person
III. Identifying Behaviors
IV. Staying Centered Geographically
V. Staying Centered Physically
VI. Staying Centered Emotionally

Assertiveness Training

Presented by W. Scott Lewis

Are you too assertive? Aggressive? Not assertive enough? Passive? Have you ever been called passive aggressive? Is there a possibility this is hindering your ability to communicate effectively with those around you and possibly your career? The way we interact with others plays a large role in how our performance is measured and how we move forward in life. It also plays a large role in how others respond to us. Whether meeting with a student, a constituent, customer, client, peer, employee or supervisor, we find ourselves in situations where we have difficulty asserting ourselves properly and making our objectives known. Sometimes we aren't even aware of how we come across to others, which can hinder our interactions and outcomes.

The key to communicating more assertively and more effectively lies in developing an understanding of basic communication styles, and then deciding on a strategy for modifying either style or expectation. Designed for the workplace, this program will help participants to develop the poise and confidence essential to meeting business and communication objectives. This workshop has been presented and these skills have been taught to over 1,000 managers from hundreds of employers.

Length: One and a half to two hours
Note: a 2-day version is available for retreat style workshops. It will involve videotaping and/or role-plays, as well as a pre and post-test.
A 3-day version that utilizes the Birkman® Tool is also available. See www.birkman.com for more information on the instrument.

Audience:
• Office Managers
• Administrative Support Staff
• Student Affairs Staff
• Faculty and Academic Administrators

Learning Outcomes:
• Identifying your own and others' communication styles
• Handling negative or difficult people
• Persuasive communication
• Coaching, training and mentoring
• Speaking up in front of a group (2 day workshop)
• Building self-confidence

Negotiation and Mediation Skills

Presented by W. Scott Lewis

Negotiating between competing interests is a routine part of every person’s life experience. Whether you are dealing with your “customers” over price, expectations, or deadlines; your boss for a raise, title, or budget; your peers for buy-in or assistance; or anyone in your life for anything. In essence, anytime you want something and someone else has it – you will negotiate.

What we know is the most successful negotiating strategies are those that let everyone come out ahead. But conflicts are not resolved by simply out-negotiating your opponent; using collaborative techniques and winning through mutual gain, you will learn how to clearly communicate your position and achieve the results you are seeking. Participants in this workshop will practice negotiating role-plays that teach simple yet practical techniques that can be used immediately in your professional and personal life.

Length:

Two hours (basic premises); 4 hours (with some strategies); full day (with some individual exercises). A 2-day workshop is available for retreat style learning, which will involve a full day team exercise with personal feedback on styles and strategies

Audience:
• Office Managers
• Administrative Support Staff
• Student Affairs Staff
• Faculty and Academic Administrators

Learning Outcomes:
• Negotiation Strategies
• Mediation Techniques
• Conflict Resolution Skills
• Negotiation Empathy
• Individual and Team Negotiation Skills
• Personal Negotiation
• Understanding Negotiation Styles
• Preventing and Diffusing Dirty Tricks

Bullying Prevention on Campus

Presented by Brett A. Sokolow and W. Scott Lewis

The media has made bullying a top priority for legislators in many states. Students, parents and campus leaders want to know what we're going to do about it. Existing policies cover this misconduct, and we may need to consider whether new rules appropriately balance prohibited conduct with free speech rights. Educational efforts directed at civility can be broadened to encompass anti-bullying initiatives. But, when bullying becomes code, we must as educators ask whether masking discrimination based on gender as bullying, calling anti-gay bias bullying, or disguising sexual harassment with the less-severe label of bullying serves our students. Title IX applies to many of these incidents, we'll explore how in this session. We'll explore effective bullying-prevention approaches, and how bullying behaviors can be protected as free speech. This session will also bring preventive mental health concerns into the bullying picture, discussing why some individuals are more susceptible than others to the emotional damage bullying can bring, including deepening depression, and in an increasing number of cases, leading to the suicides of those who are being bullied.

NCHERM On-Site Consultation

Workshops

WORKSHOPS BY TOPIC

BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION AND THREAT ASSESSMENT

CAMPUS CONDUCT TRAINING

STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH

TRAINING FOR ATHLETICS

TRAINING FOR FRATERNITY/SORORITY MEMBERS

WORKSHOPS FOR FACULTY

STUDENT AFFAIRS/ACADEMIC/ADMINISTRATIVE RISK MANAGEMENT & PREVENTIVE LAW

CAMPUS SEXUAL MISCONDUCT/SEXUAL HARASSMENT

TRAINING FOR RESIDENTIAL LIFE

TRAINING FOR CAMPUS LAW ENFORCEMENT

PREVENTION AND RISK REDUCTION

Workshop Descriptions

FERPA COMPLIANCE

One, Two and Three Day CUBIT Trainings

Threat Assessment Training

Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) Training for Faculty

Classroom Management: Preventing and Responding to Disruptive Students In and Out of The Classroom

The Disruptive Student – A Training For Faculty And/Or Staff

You Know Your Stuff, But Can You Connect? A Facilitation Training for Peer Educators

Men Educating Men: A Training for Male Peer Educators

Best Practices for Campus Behavioral Intervention and Threat Assessment

Content Training for Peer Educators

Strategic Programming

Student Suicide: What College and University Administrators Need to Know About the Law and BestPractices

Legal Issues for Campus Counselors and Therapists

Search & Seizure on Campus: A Law and Policy Best Practices Update

Criminal Background Checks for Students and Staff: A Law & Policy Update

Title IX Sexual Harassment Compliance Workshop

Risk Management Strategies for Student Organizations

Hazing Risk Management

Student-On-Student Sexual Misconduct Prevention Program

Faculty Consensual Relationships Policy Development

Problem Drinking Risk Reduction Program for Students

Changing the Drinking Culture of the College Campus

Students with Disabilities & Emotional Problems—Best Practices for Tough Times

Sexual Assault Response—Training for RAs and Other Key Personnel

Clery Act Compliance—Is Your Campus Reporting Crime Accurately?

Conduct Training

Legislation and Litigation Update

Code of Conduct Revision

Sexual Assault/Harassment Training for High-Risk Populations

Risk Management Strategies for Student Affairs and Student Conduct Administrators

Investigation Training (Civil Rights)

Best Practices for Responding to Campus Sexual Violence

Best Practices for Campus Sexual Misconduct Policy

Best Practices for Sexual Misconduct Board Procedures/Hearings

Risk Management Training for Campus Law Enforcement Personnel

MyFace, Spacebook and Other Issues of Technology for Students

1ST AMENDMENT

Resident Advisor Training: Best Practices and Essential Tools

Practical Suggestions for Improving Your Counseling Website

Suicide Gatekeeping & Mental Health Awareness for the Resident Advisor

Identifying and Referring Suicidal Students for Student Leaders

Reducing the Odds of a Lawsuit: What we can learn about our day to day practices from recent court cases

Collaborative Programming: How to Increase Attendance, Reduce Cost and Improve Effectiveness

Review of College Alcohol Programs — Best Practices

Working with Pushy Parents — Faculty Professional Development

Motivating Non-Traditional Students

Helping Students in Broken Relationships: Ten Best Practices

Preventing Staff Burnout

Who’s On Your Emergency Management Team? And Are They Really Ready?

Association Rights, Institutional Non-Discrimination Policies, and Student Groups

Campus Activism: Promoting Campus Dialogue and Student Development

Federal Mandates and the Administration of Student Conduct

Red Flags Rule (Identity Theft) Compliance Training and Consultation

The Anatomy of a Lawsuit

Watching the Train Derail: A Program On Student Suicide, Threatening Behavior and Bystander Intervention

How Not to Get Kicked Out of School

Avoiding Lawsuits and Bad PR: The changing legal landscape for athletic administrators and coaches

Law 101 for Faculty: Avoiding Lawsuits

Law 101 for Academic Administrators

STAY CENTERED - Handling Disruptive People (in Your Office/Class/Hall)

Assertiveness Training

Negotiation and Mediation Skills

Bullying Prevention on Campus