1. Where are Colleges and Universities Going? Ronald K. Chapman, Ph.D.

2.  The events of April 16, 2007: a tragic reminder of the vulnerability of college campuses ◦ Virginia Tech ◦ Northern Illinois ◦ Louisiana State University ◦ University of North Carolina ◦ University of Louisville ◦ Where Next?

3.  Shattered the image of the university “campus”  Created fear and suspicion among students and faculty  Created significant concern over mental health issues and disabilities

4.  Has been tremendously costly to the institutions involved  Has set in motion an avalanche of new procedures on campuses and legislation in the government

5.  1995-2002 college students ( age 18-24) experienced violence at a lower rate than general population - males twice as likely to be involved - 58% committed by strangers - 93% of incidents occurred off campus - 72% occurred at night - weapons used in less than 1/3 of incidents

6.  Only 250 murders committed on campuses in the last 80 years  Suicide is less likely to occur on campus than with age peers of early adults (35-50% less likely depending on study) ◦ Still the second leading cause of death among college students

7.  Among the most difficult predictions to make  No clear indices  Best predictors ◦ History of violence ◦ History of substance abuse  More than 50% of crimes are committed “under the influence”  Alcohol abuse predicts equally well for men and women

8.  Evidence of severe mental illness and an unwillingness to take medication may be a third predictor  Depression and poor future outlook seen as factors  However, those who are mentally ill are responsible for no more than 5% of the violent episodes in the US

9. - Establishment of “Student of Concern” committees - Implementation of faculty, staff and student early warning strategies - Increased police presence on campus - Increased training and arming of university police forces

10. - Review of campus buildings, practices and curfews - Establishment and review of campus evacuation plans - Review of FERPA and release of information standards

11.  Upgrading campus communication systems  Adding violence scenarios to emergency preparedness plans

12.  Potential eroding of privacy rights  Unfortunate stigmatizing of individuals with mental health issues  Over-reaction to events  Profiling