Higher Ed Experts Offer Reflection a Year After Virginia Tech

Madison, Wis.—April 15, 2008 — More than 700 institutions attended a live, online panel discussion recently convened by Magna Publications to explore what higher education has learned in response to the shootings at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007. The following five recommendations emerged from the live Internet event:

1) Institutions should not return to in loco parentis but work toward modestus pateo, or “orderly openness.”

This will require educating students and parents about student behavioral and safety policies, said panelist Ron Chesbrough, Hastings College’s vice president for student affairs.

2) Campus police or security training should include student development theory and crisis intervention skills.

This training will help officers respond to the situations and concerns that are unique to college students, said panelist Ralph Hatley, Fisk University’s public safety director.

3) Faculty and staff members should neither ignore nor attempt to “treat” disruptive student behavior.

Faculty and staff members have the prerogative to control the environments in their classes or offices, said panelist W. Scott Lewis, previously the University of South Carolina’s assistant vice provost of judicial affairs. However, if the behavior is distressing, faculty and staff should document the behavior and refer it to a campus response mechanism. It is reasonable for faculty and staff to expect that this mechanism exists and to ask the campus to provide training in conflict resolution and classroom management, he said.

4) Establish good relationships with the media now, not during a crisis.

This is not just about maintaining a positive public image when things go wrong, said panelist Richard Pokrass, Burlington County College’s executive director of alumni affairs: Good media relationships are essential in disseminating emergency information to students, parents, faculty, and staff.

5) Remember the human element when considering updating emergency communication technology.

The best emergency communications technology won’t be effective if students, faculty, and staff don’t know about it or register for it, said panelist Lynn Jansky, Rivier College’s vice president for student development.

If you missed the live event, you can order the program in CD or print transcript format, both of which include the presenter's handouts.

Magna Publications is a leading publisher of newsletters and other information products in the higher education segment. Magna also manages onsite and online conferences on topics of interest to higher education.

For more information please contact David Burns, Publisher, Magna Publications, Inc., at 608-227-8109, or dburns@magnapubs.com.