Faculty, staff, and friends are often among the first to notice when another member of the Lehman College community is overly stressed or behaving in a dangerous or disruptive manner. Disruption of academic progress, personal relationships, and daily behavior may be signs that a person is in distress. In order to maintain safety and order on campus, the Lehman College BIT identifies, responds, and ensures appropriate intervention when individual behavior causes concern to other members of the campus community.

Taking the step to express a concern about someone can evoke mixed feelings. Anything that appears to be a worrisome concern (i.e. erratic or disruptive behavior, drug and/or alcohol abuse, disturbing writings, etc.) might prompt you to make a report. Contact a member of the Lehman College BIT to discuss the best course of action if you are not sure what to do or if you are trying to determine if a report to the BIT is warranted.

To report a concern to the Lehman College BIT, please complete the Filing a Concern with the BIT form. The form will require a narrative of the behavior of concern you have witnessed. The Lehman College BIT members can be contacted personally if you wish to discuss your concern prior to submitting a report to the BIT.

The Lehman College BIT may contact you if additional information is needed.

Once the Lehman College BIT receives a report, the team will discuss the concern.The BIT then creates a plan to monitor and/or intervene with the person of concern, and designates a contact person to implement the plan. At each BIT meeting, updates are given about each case.

If something happens during non-business hours submit your concern via the online form or email a BIT member.

IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY, AT ANY TIME, CONTACT CAMPUS SECURITY IMMEDIATELY AT 718-960-7777

After a student is referred to our office, we contact the student directly to begin mediation and follow up with the faculty member to let them know that action has been taken. For FERPA and HIPAA reasons, we are not always able to give faculty members details about the mediation, but we are happy to answer any questions the faculty member may have about the process. We are able to mediate most student cases to everyone's satisfaction. In the rare event that a student's case requires further action, your participation in the process may be required.

Academic and behavioral expectations for students, along with consequences for noncompliance, are outlined in the Rules and Regulations for the Maintenance of Public Order Pursuant to Article 129A of the Education Law (Henderson Rules). If you would like to contact us for clarification on the Henderson Rules, call us at 718-960-8241.

The Office of Student Affairs offers tips for addressing rude and disruptive classroom behavior in the Resources section below.

Resources: 

• Academic Integrity Policy
• Rules and Regulations for the Maintenance of Public Order Pursuant to Article 129A of the Education Law (Henderson Rules)
• The Teaching & Learning Commons
• Classroom Management

We encourage faculty members to address the behavior with the student first, before referring the student to us for disciplinary action. Classroom management is meant to be an educational, interactive experience that encourages communication between students and faculty about appropriate behavior in an academic setting. Many students are simply not aware that their behavior is disruptive, and communicating your concerns and expectations for classroom conduct in a firm and clear manner can be more helpful to their development than a trip to the Student Affairs office.

You should contact Campus Security immediately if you feel a student is exhibiting potentially violent or unlawful behavior. This includes a student’s refusal to leave a classroom after being asked to do so. The Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) provides additional tools for threat assessments and early intervention of reported students.