Program Overview

The Faculty/Staff Behavioral Intervention Team (FASTeam) is a hybrid of a behavioral intervention team and a threat assessment team. The FASTeam combines expertise in the areas of law enforcement, mental health, disability services, academic affairs, employee and labor relations, employment law and emergency management.

Harassment Prevention

In order to promote a campus that is safe, the goal of the FASTeam, in conjunction with the student-focused Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT), is to provide an integrated and coordinated process for identifying and responding to students, faculty, staff and other individuals who may be at risk of harming themselves or others. Achieving this goal involves:

  • utilizing a multidisciplinary team to review, identify and develop specific intervention/prevention strategies.
  • collecting and organizing information to facilitate communication on and off campus.
  • analyzing information, discerning patterns, and following up as appropriate.
  • providing education and training to faculty, staff and students in how to identify and address concerning behaviors that may need further assessment or response.

Process

The primary purpose of the FASTeam is to respond to concerns about problematic behaviors that fall into the categories of “disagreements”, “nuisance” and “at-risk”. If you are observing or have experienced behaviors that fall into these categories, contact the Chair of the FASTeam at (305)348-2469 to convey your concerns. For details refer to the Behaviors of Concern Matrix. The Matrix lists recommended actions based upon the level of severity of behaviors.

Once the FASTeam has received the information, the response process will include the following:

  • Respond to the report as soon as possible, typically within 24 hours.
  • Review and identify the subject(s) of concern.
  • Collect available information.
  • Interview subject(s) of concern as appropriate.
  • Assess whether subject(s) is an imminent threat to self or others and take appropriate action.
  • Develop specific intervention/prevention strategy.
  • Facilitate meetings with FIU faculty and/or staff regarding the situation on an as needed basis.

If the report is not seen as appropriate for the Faculty/Staff Behavioral Intervention Team (FASTeam), the Chair (Isabel Alfonsin Vittoria) or her designee will coach the caller about the situation and make an appropriate referral.

However, in the event that you see or experience threatening, aggressive or violent behavior as explained in the Behaviors of Concern Matrix, contact FIU Police immediately at (305)348-5911 or (305)348-2626, for emergency response.

Behaviors of Concern Matrix

Call the FIU police immediately if there is Aggression or Violence at (305)348-5911 or (305)348-2626.

For Disagreement or Nuisance behaviors, first discuss with Chair or Supervisor, then consult with the Office of Employee Assistance (OEA) or Access, Compliance and Equal Opportunity (ACE) or Employee & Labor Relations (ELR) for faculty/staff, or contact the Counseling & Psych Services (CAPS) for students. If behaviors escalate to At-Risk, contact the Behavioral Intervention Team (BITeam – students) or the Faculty/Staff Team (FASTeam). Please, do not hesitate to communicate your concerns and consult with the appropriate FIU department.

Level I Level IILevel III
DisagreementNuisanceAt RiskAggression Violence
Normal personal or professional disagreements that do not harm the integrity of the relationship; mood & behavior changes
Offensive jokes, off-color language, gestures, unusual silence or angry outbursts, blaming
Odd or bizarre behavior; appearance of impairment, reports or "fear", but no specific threat
Harassment and discrimination, verbal, physical, and written threats; stalking; on the job impairment
Physical contact with the intent to do harm to a person or property
TAKE ACTION
Consult first with:

  • Chair or Supervisor for coaching, mediation.

  • Consult with CAPS or OEA

TAKE ACTION
Consult first with:

  • Chair or Supervisor

  • Explore performance management, training options

  • Consult with CAPS, OEA, ELR or EOPD

TAKE ACTION

  • First Call FASTeam or BITeam and

  • Involve Police and

  • Inform Chair/Supervisor 

  • V.P. or Dean's Office

TAKE ACTION:

  • First Call FIU Police then

  • Call FASTeam or BITeam and

  • Chair/Supervisor

  • Inform V.P. or Dean's Office

  • Request debriefing from OEA or CAPS

TAKE ACTION:

  • First Call FIU Police then

  • Call FASTeam or BITeam and

  • Chair/Supervisor 

  • Inform V.P. or Dean's Office

  • Request debriefing from OEA or CAPS

Action Steps

Reporting Threats/Contact Us

If you see or experience any type of violent behavior or wish to report an incident outside of normal business hours, please contact the FIU Police at (305)348-5911.

For Faculty/Staff behavioral concerns that do not require Police intervention, please contact the (FASTeam) promptly at 305-348-2469. A FASTeam member will respond as soon as possible, typically within 24 hours of the initial contact.

For student behavioral concerns that do not require Police intervention, please contact the Office of the Dean of Students at (305)348-2797.

An anonymous report can be filed by going to:
Ethical Panther Reporting Line: Convercent
Available Online: www.convercent.com/report
Toll free number: 844-312-5358

Warning signs of escalating aggression/distress

Outlined here are some warning signs to become aware of and look out for. If you have concerns or observe any of these warning signs, they should be discussed with the FASTeam Chair.

Verbal Clues

  • Direct and indirect threats
  • Verbalizing a violent plan
  • Recurrent suicide threats or statements
  • Verbal wishes to kill, be killed or die
  • Threatens to bring weapon to school/work
  • Brags about having weapons
  • Threatening/harassing phone calls or e-mails
  • Statements of hopelessness
  • Bragging of violent behavior/fantasies
  • Challenging or intimidating statements
  • Excessive profanity (contextually inappropriate)
  • Name calling or abusive language

Bizarre Thoughts

  • Persecutory delusions with self as victim
  • Paranoia
  • Delusions in general
  • Command hallucinations
  • Grandiose delusions that involve power, control and/or destruction
  • Significantly deteriorated thought processes

Behavioral/Physical Signs

  • Physical altercation/assault upon others – frequent fighting
  • Inappropriate weapons possession or use
  • Writings/drawings with intense violent themes
  • Following/surveillance of targeted individuals
  • Short fuse, loss of emotional control
  • Bullying or victim of bullying
  • Deteriorating physical appearance/apparent lack of self-care
  • Isolating and withdrawn
  • Signs or history of substance abuse/dependence
  • Signs of depression/severe mood swings
  • Inappropriate displays of emotion

Team

Team Composition:

The Chair of the FASTeam is Isabel Alfonsin Vittoria, Director of the Office of Employee Assistance. The team has standing members from the following divisions: FIU Police, Emergency Management, Academic Affairs, Employee Assistance, General Counsel, Employee & Labor Relations, and Access, Compliance and Equal Opportunity. This group meets on an as-needed basis, and it is responsible for both program development and case management functions. Additional individuals provide consultation to the FASTeam as needed.

The initial contact is typically made to the FASTeam via the telephone number (305)348-2469 or through any of the FASTeam members in person, via phone, and/or email. Regardless of the source, the member who receives the contact shall immediately communicate the information to the Chair of the FASTeam (or designee). The Chair will be responsible for:

  • receiving the referral.
  • implementing/coordinating the behavioral intervention process.

Faculty & Staff Behavioral Intervention Team (FASTeam) Members will:

Suggestions

Safety Suggestions for Harassment and Threats:

If you believe you are in imminent danger find a safe place and call FIU Police at (305)348-5911 or (305)349-2626, then call 911. Be prepared to provide your location, perpetrator/vehicle description and direction of travel.

At Work

  • Inform the police and your supervisor of the situation.
  • Report all suspicious activity to the police.
  • Be mentally prepared for an encounter; think to yourself if it happened here…how you would react, where could you go for help.
  • Vary your daily routine, where you walk, when you leave, and where you park your car.
  • Be vigilant when walking to your car, observe people hanging around the area.
  • Consider having someone accompany you to your vehicle if you work late.

At Home

  • Remove your name from your mailbox.
  • Remove your name from your answering machine and your cell phone voicemail.
  • Provide information to your neighbors (car/person description).
  • Avoid walking/exercising alone (safety in numbers).
  • Get an unlisted phone number with caller ID.
  • Encourage others to keep your personal information confidential.
  • Google yourself, see what information there is about you on the web.
  • Advise family members of the situation.
  • Install upgraded locks, an alarm system, and motion sensor lights.
  • Have your car keys on the nightstand while you are asleep. If you hear someone breaking into your residence you can activate the panic alarm on the car.

In General

  • Trust your intuition and be aware of your surroundings.
  • Consider taking a self-defense class.
  • Keep any threatening or suspicious notes, mail, emails, and voice mails.
  • Lock all your doors and windows.
  • If your car or home have been broken into, leave the area immediately and call police.
  • Do not unlock your car from a distance with the car remote.
  • If you think someone is following you cross the street or find an open establishment; if scared,
    yell for help.
  • Stick to well-traveled and well lit areas.
  • Let someone know when you are intending to leave and arrive.
  • Know that you have the right not to be harassed and report it.

What to do in the following situations:

Resources

On-campus Counseling Resources:

Others:

Resources:

If you have additional questions or concerns, please contact us at (305)348-2469.