Dear UH Community, 

As you might be aware, the University of Houston has been experiencing several classroom disruptions. 

Disruptions during large classes are on the rise at our University and at other institutions of higher education across the nation. In many cases, they appear to be social media pranks. We understand that such distractions negatively impact students’ learning experiences and can be very distressing for our campus community. 

Please know that the University takes these incidents seriously and is committed to identifying effective approaches to address them. 

I have asked Mark Clarke, Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs, and Teri Longacre, Senior Vice Provost and Dean for Undergraduate Student Success to co-chair a Classroom Disruption Task Force. The Task Force will include college deans, as well as representatives from Faculty Senate, Student Government Association, the Dean of Students Office, Equal Opportunity Services, the Office of the General Counsel, UH Police Department, University Information Technology, and UH Marketing and Communication. 

The Task Force will begin its work this month with the goal of completing an initial report that includes recommendations on potential strategies to respond to classroom disruptions. I invite members of the UH community to provide information regarding incidents they have encountered or strategic suggestions for the Task Force to consider. Please do so by emailing provost@uh.edu.  

Current guidance for handling classroom disruptions is outlined by the Dean of Students Office in the Managing Disruptive Student Behavior publication. While it is not always clear if those engaging in disruptive behaviors are students, this resource includes broadly applicable information. 

In addition to this publication, the following steps are recommended by UHPD in responding to disruptive behavior within the classroom. 

• UHPD should be contacted as soon as possible at 713-743-3333.
   

• Students should refrain from communicating and/or being confrontational with disruptive individuals as the situation could quickly escalate.
   

• Faculty should ask those disrupting the class to leave—no more than twice. Additional communications might escalate the situation.
   

• Utilize the classroom panic button, if one is available.
   

• Students and faculty should listen and watch to gain information to assist UHPD in apprehending anyone engaged in excessively disruptive or offensive behavior. 

Please know that I consider such classroom disruptions a very serious matter and encourage you to provide your feedback and suggestions once the Classroom Disruption Task Force is formed. I am confident that this group will move swiftly to identify and recommend additional measures to effectively address and combat these disruptions. 

Sincerely,

Diane Z. Chase
Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost,
University of Houston