Policies of Colorado State University

University Policy

University Seal
Policy Title: Referral for Psychological Assessment and Involuntary University Withdrawal Category: Public Safety/Risk Management
Owner: Vice President for Student Affairs Policy ID#: 6-6023-006
Contact:
Office of Support and Safety Assessment
Web: http://supportandsafety.colostate.edu/about-us
Phone: (970) 491-1350

Also Contact:
Dean of Students
Web: http://studentaffairs.colostate.edu/
Email: vpsa@colostate.edu
Phone: (970) 491-5312
Original Effective Date: 7/11/2011
Last Revision: 10/13/2020

PURPOSE OF THIS POLICY

Colorado State University is committed to protecting the health, safety and welfare of its community members and preserving the integrity of its learning, working and living environments. As well, CSU respects and supports the rights of students with disabilities. The purpose of this Policy is to provide procedures to respond when it appears that a student’s conduct poses a substantial risk to life, health or safety or of serious disruption to the educational environment or orderly operations of the University. In such instances, following an individualized assessment, the student may be referred by the University for mandatory assessment and treatment; and, under certain circumstances, may complete a voluntary University Withdrawal or be involuntarily withdrawn from enrollment at the University, with an opportunity to be readmitted at a later date.

APPLICATION OF THIS POLICY

This policy applies to all students enrolled or in attendance at CSU.

DEFINITIONS USED IN THIS POLICY

Student Consult Team (SCT): A multidisciplinary team that is chaired by the Director of the Office of Support and Safety Assessment (or designee when required) and includes representatives from appropriate university offices, as recommended by the Chair and approved by the Vice President for Student Affairs. The SCT reports to the VPSA.

University Withdrawal: A student withdrawing from all classes for a given term, starting the first day of the term and on or before the last day of classes before final exams week.

Conditional Return Hold: An action to prevent a student from registering for classes or re-enrolling in the University pending a release from the Office of Support and Safety Assessment and/or the Chair of the SCT.

POLICY STATEMENT

Colorado State University (“CSU”) is committed to the success of all students, and to the safety and security of everyone in the CSU community. CSU recognizes there may be situations in which it reasonably appears that a student poses a substantial risk to life, health, or safety or of serious disruption to the University’s activities or operations, and that in such instances a health and safety intervention by the University may be necessary. In such situations, CSU may require mandatory medical or psychological assessment and/or treatment in order to mitigate the risk. If the risk cannot be reasonably mitigated, then the student may voluntarily take a University Withdrawal, or the University may impose an involuntary University Withdrawal.

POLICY PROVISIONS

Initiating Review

Concerns regarding a student’s health and safety or behaviors of concern shall be brought to the attention of the Chair of the Student Consult Team (SCT). The Chair may review the matter with the SCT or others as deemed appropriate under the circumstances. If the Chair determines that there is a reasonable likelihood that the student may pose a substantial risk to life, health or safety or of serious disruption to the University’s activities or operations  the matter will proceed to an individualized review.

Individualized Review Process

The Chair, together with members of the SCT and others as deemed appropriate by the Chair, shall conduct an individualized review of the facts and circumstances, which may include an interview with the student and others, and shall make a determination as to whether further intervention is needed. At a minimum, the Chair shall consider the following:

  • The nature, duration, and severity of the risk;
  • The nature of the student’s program of study and any practical experiences or exposure to high-risk areas, chemicals, materials or equipment; and
  • The steps that may reasonably be taken to mitigate the risk, including any reasonable accommodations that the student has requested.  The safety of the student and others is always the primary consideration.

Requesting Reasonable Accommodations

A student who is an individual with a disability who is otherwise qualified to participate in and benefit from an educational activity or other university-sponsored program may request reasonable accommodations by contacting the Student Disability Center. A student who is also a university employee should contact the Office of Equal Opportunity.

Action to Prevent Imminent Harm

Notwithstanding any other provision of this policy, at any point in the process of evaluating concerns about a student’s health and safety or behaviors of concern, the Chair or other CSU administrators as may be appropriate may take such immediate action as is reasonably deemed necessary, including, but not limited to, exclusion from campus, to avoid an imminent threat. Notice and an opportunity to be heard shall be provided to the student as soon as is reasonably practicable after such action is taken.

Mandatory Assessment

If, after the individualized review, the SCT Chair determines that there is credible evidence that the student may pose a substantial risk to life, health or safety or of a serious, continuing disruption of university activities, the Chair may require the student to undergo a mandatory  assessment by a qualified professional  of the SCT’s choice and to authorize that professional to provide the results of the assessment to the SCT. This shall be at the student’s expense, except that if the student demonstrates undue economic hardship CSU may choose to pay for the initial assessment. If a student fails to complete the assessment within a reasonable time, generally considered to be the first reasonable opportunity when considering provider scheduling needs, then CSU may initiate an involuntary University Withdrawal, if approved by the Vice President for Student Affairs.

If a student objects to submitting to the mandatory assessment, the student may request a review of this requirement. Due to the need for timeliness in gathering information related to potential risks, this process is time sensitive and affords only a limited review. A request to review the requirement of the assessment must be initiated within 48 hours after notice is sent to the student and must be submitted in writing to the Chair. The Chair will attempt to resolve the objection in a fair and reasonable manner. The Chair’s decision on the review is final.

Subsequent Actions

Upon a finding that there are reasonable grounds to conclude that the student poses a substantial risk, actions to be taken may include any or all of the following: (1) require that the student be referred to medical, psychological, or other ongoing evaluation and treatment to address the risks, behaviors, and concerns that are presented; (2) assess any request the student has made for reasonable accommodations that would allow the student to continue their education in some way; (3) recommend to the student that they complete a voluntary University Withdrawal in order to obtain treatment to mitigate the risk; and/or (4) recommend to the Vice President of Student Affairs (VPSA) that the student be involuntarily withdrawn from the University pending treatment and further review.

Mandatory Referral for Ongoing Evaluation and Treatment

When the SCT Chair determines that the student poses a substantial risk to life, health or safety or serious disruption of university activities, the Chair may direct that the student be referred for mandatory ongoing evaluation and treatment to a qualified professional of CSU's choosing, at the student's expense. In appropriate circumstances the student may also submit treatment records, reports or other evidence from other health providers of the student’s own choosing, together with a release and authorization for each provider to discuss the student’s health with the SCT and/or with the provider designated by CSU. . If a student fails to give permission for the results of the ongoing evaluation and treatment to be shared with appropriate administrators or fails to adhere to a required treatment plan on an ongoing basis, then CSU may initiate an involuntary University Withdrawal, if approved by the Vice President for Student Affairs.

If a student objects to the requirement for ongoing evaluation and treatment, a request to review must be submitted by the student in writing to the Chair within seven calendar days after notice is sent to the student. The review will go through a series of interactive steps in an attempt to resolve any objection. If resolution is not reached, the review will go to a panel consisting of the SCT Chair, the Dean of Students, and the Director of CSU Counseling Services. The panel’s decision on the review is final.

Voluntary University Withdrawal

A student may complete a voluntary University Withdrawal through their RamWeb account through the last day of regular classes prior to finals week. The student will have a Conditional Return Hold placed on their student account that will prevent the student from registering for classes. The University may require an assessment and agreement for continued treatment prior to allowing the student to register or re-enroll.

Recommendation for Involuntary University Withdrawal

Where evidence demonstrates a likelihood that a student is engaging in, or is likely to engage in behavior that reasonably appears to pose a substantial risk to life, health or safety or of serious disruption to the University’s activities or operations , and it appears that: (1) the risk cannot be mitigated to an acceptable level through readily available support services or the student is failing to comply with recommended treatment that would potentially mitigate the threat; and (2) the student declined a voluntary University Withdrawal, then an involuntary withdrawal may be imposed by the Vice President for Student Affairs acting upon the recommendation of the SCT Chair. (In the event of unavailability of either or both, the Executive Vice President/Provost shall appoint or serve as an alternate).

Before an involuntary university withdrawal is recommended, the Chair will provide the student with notice and an opportunity to confer with the Chair or designated members of the SCT. Notice will be given in writing if practicable, but any method of providing such notice that is reasonable under the circumstances shall be effective.

Academic and Financial Consequences

CSU is committed to working with students, faculty and staff to help students manage the academic and financial consequences of a voluntary or involuntary University Withdrawal. The student will be advised that:

  • For each course in which “withdrawal” is entered in lieu of a grade, no course credit is earned, and the withdrawal is noted on the student’s permanent transcript;
  • The student may be eligible for a partial refund of tuition and fee payments for the semester in which the withdrawal is entered, depending upon the effective date of the withdrawal, in accordance with the University’s policy on withdrawals and tuition adjustments (see References section below);
  • The student may be responsible for repayment of financial aid (if applicable); and
  • The student should seek assistance with respect to other potential academic consequences due to voluntary or involuntary university withdrawal, through their academic adviser.

Appeals

The student may appeal the decision to impose an involuntary University Withdrawal by submitting a written request for an appeal, along with any additional written materials that the student desires to have considered, to the Provost/Executive Vice President, in writing, within five business days from the decision imposing involuntary withdrawal. The decision of the Provost/Executive Vice President shall be the final decision of the University.

Disciplinary Action

CSU reserves the right to proceed in a non-discriminatory manner with disciplinary action pursuant to the Student Conduct Code or any other applicable policies and guidelines independent of, or concurrent with, any action taken pursuant to this policy.

Returning to CSU Following Involuntary University Withdrawal

A student who wishes to be considered for return to campus or readmission shall contact the Office of Support and Safety Assessment and provide appropriate documentation to comply with the conditions of readmission. The student may also present any relevant information which the student believes supports the request for return or readmission. The request may be made at any time commencing with the semester following the one in which the withdrawal became effective.

The SCT Chair, after review and evaluation, shall then make a recommendation for the student’s request for readmission to be granted, granted with conditions, or denied to the Vice President for Student Affairs or designee. A student’s request shall be denied if the Vice President for Student Affairs finds that the risk of harm has not been fully abated, or that the student will not be able, upon return, to be safely at the school even with reasonable accommodations. If the request to be allowed to re-enroll is denied, the student may appeal such decision in writing to the Provost/Executive Vice President within five days of the decision denying readmission. The decision of the Provost/Executive Vice President shall be final.

COMPLIANCE WITH THIS POLICY

Compliance with this policy is required. For assistance with interpretation or application of this policy, contact the Office of Support and Safety Assessment.

REFERENCES

APPROVALS

Approved by Anthony A. Frank, President, on July 11, 2011

Revision approved by Lynn Johnson, Vice President for University Operations, on October 13, 2020