Download the Student Crisis Procedure

Dear colleagues: 

Joliet Junior College is forming a Threat Assessment Team. The purpose of this team is to provide a cross-functional, multidisciplinary point of contact for members of the college community who have encountered student behavior which they perceive as aberrant, threatening or dangerous. 

The team will act promptly to follow-up with the individual initiating the report, determine if there have been any additional warning signs or reasons for concern (such as code violations or classroom incidents), and meet with the student to develop a plan.  Actions taken by the team could include the following:

  • Calling the parents or guardians
  • Requesting permission to receive medical and educational records.
  • Checking with law enforcement to ascertain whether there have been any interactions with the police.
  • Talking with faculty.
  • Suspending the student until the student has been treated and doctors indicate the student is not a safety risk.

Currently the Threat Assessment Team includes Betsy Oudenhoven, vice president of student development; Pete Comanda, chief of JJC Campus Police; Mildred Holmes, chair of counseling; Cynthia Vasquez-Barrios, Dean of Students; Jacque Klika, coordinator of StAR (Services for Students with Disabilities) and Margaret Semmer, dean of career and technical education.

The team plans to work with Human Resources and the Personal and Professional Development Committee to provide training opportunities for interested faculty and staff on how to respond to distressed and distressing students.

At this time we encourage you to contact the team if you have concerns about student behavior which you have observed in your classroom or other locations on campus.  We suggest the following referrals:

  • If you feel that the student is distressed but not a danger to self or others – call the Counseling Center (ext. 2673) and indicate that the student needs to see a counselor for personal counseling.
  • If you find the student distressing – the student’s behavior is extremely unusual, disruptive of the immediate environment (classroom, office or other), is making you or others very uncomfortable and/or you perceive some element of threat – contact the Threat Assessment Team through Betsy Oudenhoven (ext.6690 or email boudenho@jjc.edu).
  • If you feel that the behavior you are observing poses an immediate threat or danger to self or others, contact Campus Police (ext. 2911 for emergencies, ext. 2234 non-emergency).

 Don’t hesitate to contact any member of the team with questions.  Thanks and have a great (and we hope uneventful) semester. 

Betsy Oudenhoven, Ph.D.
Vice President of Student Development
Joliet Junior College
1215 Houbolt Rd.
Joliet, Il  60431
(815)280-6690
boudenho@jjc.edu