POLICY 4-19

PROMOTING A NON-VIOLENT CAMPUS ENVIRONMENT

• Issued:  10-05
• Revised:  
• Approved:  09-05
  

I. PURPOSE

Fort Lewis College strives to maintain a campus free of intimidating, threatening or violent behavior, including, but not limited to, verbal and/or physical aggression, attack, threats, harassment, intimidation, or other behavior in any form or by any media that causes or would cause a reasonable person to fear physical harm to their person and/or property.  Fort Lewis College makes a reasonable effort to provide a safe workplace and learning environment on its campus.  However, it cannot guarantee the protection and safety of everyone under every circumstance.

II. POLICY STATEMENT

Fort Lewis College will not tolerate violent behavior or threats of violent behavior directed at any College employee or student, or at any affiliate, vendor, visitor, property, or facility on the College campus.  Such behavior is strictly prohibited and may result in corrective and/or disciplinary action, criminal charges when appropriate, or both.  Any individual who engages in such behavior will be held accountable under Fort Lewis College Policy, and local, state, and federal law.

Any visitor or affiliate who engages in behavior prohibited by this policy may be subject to exclusion from campus, arrest, prosecution, termination of his or her business relationship with the College, and/or any other appropriate action.

This policy is not intended to preclude the use or threat of reasonable force, where appropriate, in the course of a State employee’s assigned duties, or reasonable contact, where appropriate, in the course of sports events.

All incidents and reports of incidents of violent behavior occurring in the workplace will be taken seriously and will be dealt with immediately and appropriately.

III. PROHIBITED BEHAVIOR

Violent behavior is defined as any threat or act of physical aggression or of destruction or abuse of property.  Threats include veiled, conditional or direct verbal or written threats intended to harass, endanger or harm the safety of another and which would cause a reasonable person to fear physical harm to their person and/or property.  Such behavior includes, but is not limited to:

• Intimidating behavior which includes language or actions that unreasonably disrupts the work or learning environment, unreasonably causes undue emotional distress to another, or creates a reasonable fear of injury to persons or property;
• Threatening behavior which includes physical actions without physical contact or injury and implied threats to people or property; and,
• Any behavior which involves any physical assault with or without weapons, throwing objects, destroying property, and specific or expressed threats to inflict harm to people or to destroy property.

IV. REPORTING PROCEDURES

Individuals who witness or have been subjected to any behavior prohibited by this policy, or who witness the possession, display or use of any weapon should immediately report the incident to one of the following:

Emergency or Life-Threatening Situations: 

            In the case of an emergency or life-threatening situation, immediately call 911 or 9911 if calling from a campus telephone.

Non-emergency Situations: 

            In all other situations, please notify the Human Resources Office (970) 247-7428 or the Campus Police Department (970) 247-7491.  Please notify Campus Police if before or after normal business hours, if Human Resources is otherwise unavailable, or if the situation involves a Human Resources employee.

V. REFERENCES

Governor's Executive Order on Workplace Violence - D001096 - August 1996

"The state will not tolerate violent behavior or the threat of violent behavior directed by anyone toward state employees, customers, clients, state property or facilities.  Such behavior may result in corrective and/or disciplinary action if it is committed by a state employee, and/or criminal charges when appropriate."

College Policy 7-5 - Weapons Prohibited on Campus