Carnegie Mellon University

The Word

Student Handbook

Safety Intervention Protocol

Carnegie Mellon is committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment for students, faculty, staff and visitors and may intervene in circumstances that seriously affect the health or well-being of any student, where physical safety is seriously threatened, or where the operations of the university are seriously disrupted. In keeping with this commitment, this protocol describes the procedures for assessing potential risk presented by students and interventions the university may enact.

If safety is an immediate concern, an associate vice president of student affairs (or their designee), may determine the need to issue a mandate that:

  1. specifies the conditions for a student to maintain (or resume) her/his status as an enrolled student; and/or:
  2. requires a student to absent herself/himself from campus until specified conditions have been satisfactorily engaged or completed.

Any and all conditions of a mandate will be specified in a written letter from the associate vice president of student affairs to the student. Such conditions may include:

  • A behavioral contract;
  • A no contact agreement/order;
  • Transferring rooms within university housing;
  • Removal from university housing;
  • Completion of a pending community standards proceeding and/or investigation by the Office for Institutional Equity and Title IX;
  • Engagement in an appropriate care or treatment plan;
  • Temporary withdrawal from the university;
  • Signed releases of information or communication with support sources such as parents or treatment providers; and/or
  • Other conditions deemed reasonable and appropriate under the circumstances.

A mandate will only be issued when, in the professional judgment of an associate vice president of student affairs (or their designee), after considering all reasonably available information, it is determined that the student:

  • Poses a credible substantial risk of harm to individuals within the University or to the University community as a whole; or
  • Substantially impedes the lawful activities, the educational process, or the proper activities or functions of members of the University community. 

The decision to issue a mandate will be predicated on an individualized assessment of the student’s behaviors. The primary considerations in making this assessment will be the severity of the safety risk presented by the student, the impact of the student’s behaviors on the university community and the broader community, the student’s willingness or unwillingness to voluntarily engage in a level of care that is clinically indicated; and whether reasonable modifications of the university’s polices, practices or procedures significantly mitigate the risk.  Should a mandate be deemed appropriate, the university will identify the student affairs staff member(s) who will support and assist the student in meeting specific requirements and associated timelines for completion, which will be outlined in writing by the associate vice president of student affairs. If necessary, the student may be placed on an administrative leave of absence while completing these requirements.

A student who receives a mandate under this protocol may appeal the decision in writing to the dean of students. In connection with an appeal, a student may submit whatever additional evidence the student believes may be relevant to the decision.

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