South Georgia Tech Behavioral Intervention Team meets with TCSG officials

The South Georgia Technical College Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) hosted officials from the Technical College System of Georgia recently to review the college’s emergency and security plans. Each college in the Technical College System of Georgia is required to have a plan that is designed to help insure the safety and well-being of its college’s students, faculty, staff and visitors. SGTC President Dr. John Watford welcomed the TCSG officials to the campus and thanked them for their support of South Georgia Tech and the Behavioral Interventional Team members. Jennifer Ziifle, Director of Campus Safety for the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), and Dr. Lisa Anne Beck, Emergency Management Coordinator for TCSG, met with SGTC Behavior Intervention team members including: Committee Chairperson Karen Werling, Vice President of Student Affairs; Don Smith, SGTC Assistant to the President; David Kuipers, Vice President of Academic Affairs; Su Ann Bird, Vice President Institutional Advancement; Sammy Stone, Director of Campus Safety; Vanessa Wall and Dr. David Finley, Deans for Academic Affairs, Julie Partain, Dean for Enrollment Management; LaKenya Johnson, Special Populations Coordinator; Sandy Larson, Human Resources Director; and Kari Bodrey, Student Affairs Coordinator. The South Georgia Technical College Behavior Intervention Team (BIT) is dedicated to a proactive, coordinated, and planned approach to the identification, prevention, assessment, management and reduction of interpersonal behavioral threats to the safety and well-being of South Georgia Technical College students, faculty, staff and visitors. The goals of the committee include providing a safe physical environment as well as a safe emotional environment for members of the technical college community. The team also strives to promote peace of mind for friends and family of the college community. The SGTC BIT committee will meet regularly and on an emergency basis to review referrals brought by faculty, staff, and students concerning disruptive, inappropriate, and/or threatening behavior. During the meeting with the TCSG officials, the SGTC committee members shared information about the Table Top Emergency Operations drill held recently with individuals from 10 different community organizations and SGTC Director of Campus Safety Sammy Stone gave the individuals a tour of the Americus campus. A special Staff Development training session has been scheduled in January for all faculty and staff members concerning behavioral intervention, CPR and AED Training as well as emergency procedures and updates to the new Georgia campus carry laws.