Campus Violence

Book excerpt: This timely book shows how the rapidly increasing phenomenon of violence in the U.S. is invading college and university campuses. Campus Violence shows what colleges, universities, and other schools can do to deconstruct the violence culture and begin to educate for a better society. The chapters assist educators in determining the nature of both external and internal violence and what to do about it. Readers will benefit from the experiences of many institutions of higher learning as communicated by various outstanding contributors to this book. By becoming sharply aware of the issues and solutions, administrators may engage in better, more realistic long-range planning, as well as get help for the myriad daily questions and problems inherent to running today’s campuses. As a whole, the book is devoted to highlighting important kinds, causes, and cures of violence destructive to living and learning opportunities. The contributors address the full range of issues from conceptualization to practical ways of handling violent behaviors. Section I: Addresses the broadest, most far-reaching views of campus violence: the conceptualization of campus violence, administration perspectives, the destructive concoction of alcohol and other drugs and morbidity, and the commercial promotion of mindless violence. Section II: Addresses specific kinds of violence. Section III: Focuses on the most frequent immediate perpetrators--male college students--and how their behavior can be dealt with and improved. Section IV: Focuses very specifically on how the college counselor or psychotherapist can be a consultant to staff and faculty in regard to disruptive students. Campus Violence depicts the need to nurture and develop atmospheres for learning, respect, and constructive action--arguably the most pressing topic in education today. Counselors, therapists, security officers, deans, and presidents can begin to counter the rapidly increasing phenomenon of violence in American colleges and universities and cultivate a positive leadership atmosphere. The implications of the contributing authors reach to the primary and secondary schools in our nation--the training grounds for college life and education--and provoke some questions which begin to create a better learning environment.