This month, a look at a series of incidents and initiatives related to self-harm and suicide. Does the campus have a broad legal duty to protect students? Can institutions ban students who have attempted to harm themselves? And how can government intervene in campus matters like this?

The students crammed into the residence hall elevator late on a Friday night. With 24 students on board, the weight capacity was probably exceeded by at least 1,000 pounds. The Ohio State University elevator car started to drop down without closing its doors. The last student on tried to jump off. But it was too late. He was trapped by the elevator and the shaft and was killed. That fall 2006 accident has raised new questions about the need for elevator safety education in college campuses.

Dealing with crisis has become a key element of campus planning and operations in recent years. A recent publication from NASPA, the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, focuses not only on the plans and processes, but also on the people. Titled “Crisis Management- Responding from the Heart,” the 105-page paperback looks at the basics of campus crisis management and considers response and reaction from the perspectives of parents, responders, supervisors, vice presidents, and even the impact and role of a responder’s partner.