Ana Barraza
For the first time in Pierce College history, 8 Ωx11″ laminated placards offering guidelines on how to deal with disruptive behavior and/or students in crisis were distributed to all faculty members this semester. “There is no specific reason that prompted the decision for the distribution,” said Joy McCaslin, vice president of Student Services. “They laminated them so that they would be easy to put in a notebook and be handy for them to have,” said McCaslin of the glossy three-hole-punched sheet. Also, “People are more aware because of the incidents at Virginia Tech,” said McCaslin. Deborah Barber, the health center’s psychologist, was completely booked with appointments the first two weeks of school this semester, according to Beth Benne, director of the Student Health Center. “The fall semester is historically more stressful than the spring semester,” said Benne. The sheet of guidelines dedicates one side to addressing disruptive behavior, and the other offers help in assisting students in crisis/distress. It describes disruptive behavior as any behavior which interferes with the instructional, administrative or service functions of the college.The guidelines advise teachers to immediately call the sheriff’s department if a student poses an immediate threat to themselves or others. If no immediate threat is apparent, instructors can refer them to the student health center. “If a student gets up and starts yelling in a classroom, they would go to sheriff’s department. If they are sobbing uncontrollably they would come to me,” said Benne, who helped write the guidelines for assisting students in crisis/distress. According to Benne, when a student acts out, it is mostly about a loss of control over their lives. “Maybe they lost their apartment, or they don’t have food in the fridge to feed their child,” she said. Along with warning signs, prevention and recommended actions, the plastic-coated placard includes a list of hot lines to call as additional referrals. Among the list are numbers for a suicide hot line, an emergency food pantry and the San Fernando Valley chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous. According to David Follosco, dean of Student Services, there has not been an increase in disruptive student behavior.”Actually, with enrollment over 20,000 at Pierce, there are very few incidents of disruptive behavior,” said Follosco. Student Services has always conducted workshops for faculty on student discipline and addressing disruptive behavior. Because not all faculty could attend these workshops, Robert Garber, Pierce president, asked that the guidelines be placed in all faculty mailboxes. Garber introduced the concept of the faculty guidelines from his previous institution, San Diego Miramar College. “We want faculty to know that there are resources available to them,” said Follosco.Disciplinary actions for a student who causes a problem may vary. It depends on the severity of the incident, said Follosco. “Sometimes speaking with and counseling the student will resolve the issue. Often, by understanding the cause of the disruptive behavior, appropriate options can be discussed with the student. Other incidents may require disciplinary action, which may include suspension from a class or the campus for a few days or longer,” he said.Standards of conduct, along with a detailed description of student disciplinary procedures, can be found in the back of the schedule of classes and also at www.piercecollege.edu/info/conduct/.