Jonathan Roman | Staff Writer
The SGA Senate unanimously approved a resolution creating a first-of-its-kind safety policy. The Violent Threat Response and Residential Student Protection Protocol establishes a student-centered plan to protect students from violent threats while ensuring fast reporting, accountability, and consequences for aggressors.
Senator Trey Saunders introduced the landmark resolution on Monday, Aug. 25th. This marks the first-ever safety protocol designed by students.
At its core, the protocol requires a mandatory safety plan for all students who report violent threats. It ensures that FIU Police, Housing, Student Conduct, and support services respond promptly and consistently.
The resolution mandates that all verbal or written death threats and threats of bodily harm be taken seriously, with reports escalated within one business day. In addition, students may request a representative from the Victim Empowerment Program to be present during the process.
If a student is found responsible for, or admits to, making violent threats, they risk losing their housing contract and may face interim suspension or emergency removal from university housing. Accused students retain the right to appeal decisions to the Dean of Students’ office within five business days.
The policy also requires FIU Police to document admissions of threats as direct evidence, escalate cases to Student Conduct, and escort the student to retrieve belongings within two business days. Moreover, verbal or serious threats of bodily harm occurring in university-affiliated housing must be recorded in the university’s daily crime and fire log, regardless of whether criminal charges are filed.
The resolution emphasizes accountability: failure to follow the protocol may result in disciplinary review of university staff through Student Affairs or Human Resources. It also calls for annual joint training for FIU Police, Housing, and Student Conduct, facilitated by the Dean of Students.
In an interview with PantherNOW, Senator Saunders said, “This resolution wasn’t about writing 12 pages of policy; it was about making sure that when a student reports a violent threat or death threat, they’re heard, protected, and taken seriously. For too long, safety has been handled reactively. Students deserve a system that works in real time, and that’s what we built. It may have started as a student-led initiative, but it’s designed to last for decades.”
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