Crisis on Campus

            Crisis on campus is an issue that no student affairs professional wants to face, however, the reality in todays’ world is that most of us will encounter this situation at some point in our careers.  The key to successful facing these events is having a plan.  College campuses with solidified crisis management plans can communicate efficiently with students, faculty, visitors, and local community members.  Often times, crisis can bring individuals together.  However, without a plan to handle the crisis at hand and the after effects of the crisis, an unexpected event could shake the foundations of student and professional life on campus and in the community. 

            Surprisingly, after the attacks on September 11, 2001, many college students who were directly impacted said they did not plan on changing any of their educational plans or career goals.  Many reported that they felt safe surrounded by their peers and found some sort of peace and normalcy in their daily routines and classes.  Professors and other staff members also offered support and adequate counseling for students.  Pace University’s World Trade Institute was destroyed, but the students at Pace reported no plans of changing their major or career goal.  Some researchers attribute that to the age of those students, citing that young students had a robust future planned and would only use this crisis as a form of motivation to succeed in their goals and eventually change the world. 

            Gary Thomas, director of the program for school preparedness and planning in the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University believes schools should have plans for all possible situations.  What might not be considered a terrorist attack could have a serious impact on a campus.  A derailed train, a chemical spill, or even spreading fires could pose a serious threat to campus crisis.  He encourages campuses to have plans intact to address multiple scenarios. 

            The first step is to develop a comprehensive plan, identifying and addressing possible risks in the surrounding areas.  This plan should be focused on four key phases:  mitigation and prevention; preparedness; response; and recovery.  School administrators, faculty members, and students should all be aware of plans and procedures.  Practicing drills and updating the people on campus of policy changes is key to success in crisis situations.  Staff training and student orientations should include information about crisis events and plans of action for all on campus.  Thomas encourages campuses to look at other schools for suggestions, but to tailor policies and procedures specifically for institutions. 

            According to Barry Munitz, former head of the California State University System feels that institutions should focus on the welfare of students.  Rather than focusing on faculty benefits and workloads, we should focus on preparing the next generation of students.  In today’s world with such advanced technology and access to more weapons than ever before, it is imperative that each institution has a tested and reviewed plan of action for crisis events.  Along with students’ emotional health, we are also responsible for providing the safest environment for learning and development. 

Sources:
Pace U
Barry Munitz
A Plan of Your Own

Spirituality and Students

“No aspect of life is considered so important to Americans outside higher education, yet deemed so unimportant by the majority of those inside, as religion.”

For decades, many public universities and institutions of higher education have worked their hardest to separate themselves from the church all religious ties.  However, in light of current events in our country and the world, researchers have started to examine the role religion and spirituality in the lives of college students. 

When tragic events occur, sociologists take the pulse of the public to measure how much of a role spirituality plays in peoples daily lives.  During and after wars, people are polled about how often they pray and attend church services.  These attitudes are also examined when the economy is on the downhill and when controversial elections take place.  Finally, after years of research and various publications on the issue, higher education professionals are starting to take note of the role religion and spirituality play on college campuses. 

New findings report that parents, who in the past might have chosen a more liberal, public university for their children, are now encouraging their children to consider private schools built on a religious foundation.  Their reasoning?  The rise in underage drinking and promiscuous sexual behavior.  Many parents feel that smaller schools with less of a bar scene might also have fewer pressures facing students. 

In his article Faith and Diversity in American Religion, Alan Wolfe discusses how todays students are moving from a more “religion” centered way of thinking to a more “spiritual” way of life.  He credits this to the outside influences today’s students interact with.  The amount of knowledge and information that students have access to allows them to develop their own ideas outside the confines of a traditional church or house of worship. 

As Student Affairs professionals, we should familiarize ourselves with different religious beliefs and become comfortable discussing spiritual exploration with students.  During these discussions, professionals should be careful not to force their own personal beliefs onto students, allowing students to make decisions and reach conclusions on their own.  If studies show that students are praying more now than they ever have, we should be prepared for the questions they have.  We should develop policies and programs to enhance student development along with religion and spirituality.  

Most Freshmen Say Religion Guides Them

Faith and Diversity in American Religion

Study Documents Students Spirituality

MRS Degrees: Setting Students Up for Success Professionally AND Personally

               Princeton alum, and former Class President (’77), Susan Patton has recently received some negative press due to a letter published in the Daily Princetonian, Princeton’s student newspaper.  In the letter to the editor, Patton suggests that women should not be ashamed of looking for a spouse during their undergraduate years.  She credits marital success to equality in intelligence, and argues that bright young women should seek out partners who can intellectually stimulate them and challenge them, if not they might become bored or annoyed with their spouses. 

                Critics slammed Patton and called her “shallow and one-dimensional.”  Others accused her of not being a part of the modern world and praised her for never having daughters of her own.  Amira Young even pointed out that after 27 years of marriage, Susan Patton is getting a divorce; discrediting her own advice that women should find a spouse while they’re young.  Young points out the changes that young college graduates experience as they continue to develop personally and professionally, suggesting that waiting to choose a life partner might be a better course of action for many individuals. 

                Contrary to many of the critical responses, Christine B. Whelan suggests that women should put serious thought into the men they date.  She points out that young-adults are encouraged to plan out every aspect of their professional life, setting goals and mapping out a course of how to reach those goals.  Why, she asks, are individuals not encouraged to carefully pursue a spouse?  Whelan points out that if you replace the word “marriage” with “career,” Patton’s letter becomes a very sensible bit of advice for any young collegian.  If we encourage students to take such care in making professional decisions, shouldn’t we encourage them to really evaluate their personal decisions as well? 

                Studies suggest that college students are more successful in classes when they’re married rather than when they’re single.  In a study of over 11,000 graduate students, spanning 20 years, Joseph Price found that married men were 75% more likely to finish their graduate program within four years than single men.  Likewise, married women were 25% more likely to finish graduate school quickly than their single peers.  Price attributes some of these findings to the drive that families provide.  He was encouraged to finish his work and research in time to eat dinner with his family every night. 

                As professionals shouldn’t we encourage our students to develop professionally and personally?  Not to say that we should suggest majors such as Education and Family Studies, that provide an easy course load during a student’s undergraduate career, we should definitely prepare students to succeed in a career they will enjoy.  But we should also provide them with a safe place to explore the other aspects of life after college, which include starting a family. 

Sources:

Susan Patton
'Marriage' is Not a Dirty Word
Amira Young
Tying the Knot and Success in Graduate School

Greeks Battling Sexual Assault

Greek houses are one area of campus were administrators constantly battle for control.  As independent organizations with national headquarters and standards that, theoretically, are to be upheld nationwide, Greek organizations often see little advantage to allowing school officials some authority in their groups.  However, the growing number of sexual assaults that can be linked to Greek organizations must be addressed.  If national chapter headquarters, maybe thousands of miles away, cannot address these issues, then student affairs professionals and institution administrators must take action.  Some campuses are looking to stricter hazing and alcohol policies while others have relied on student leadership to help put an end to inappropriate and dangerous student behavior. 

                Dartmouth College has a policy in place designed to protect sorority women and punish misbehaving fraternities.  If a sorority woman reports any type of physical, sexual, or emotional assault by a fraternity member to her chapter, the chapter will take action on her behalf.  After the report, the women’s chapter reports the alleged incident to the fraternity and gives them 24 hours to begin an internal investigation.  If a proper investigation is not launched in the given time frame, all eight sorority organizations on campus cancel any future events with that fraternity.  Ellie Sandmeyer, a leader in the Dartmouth Greek community says that this policy is not meant to replace formal reporting channels, but it is designed to make fraternity members feel as if they all have a “stake in the issue.”

                Douglas Fierberg argues that by ending alcohol consumption on campus and binge drinking by minors, campuses can see a significant reduction in assault related incidents.  He also suggests that institutions implement an “open disclosure policy,” to make the public aware of all incidents that take place on campus.  He points out that this policy would be similar to other laws that protect the general public and believes women have the right to know if they are entering the scene of a sexual assault.  One might argue that posting this information would be pointless after the accuser or the accusers pledge class moved out of the Greek house, or that groups can change, or that one individual does not entirely define a group.  I agree with these arguments wholeheartedly, but as a female and a member of a Greek organization, I would want to be made aware of any incidents that occurred on campus.  While posting a sign might not be necessary, making the public aware of incidents and their setting might encourage women to be more cautious and aware of their surroundings. 

                While no individual can provide the solution to sexual assaults on college campuses, the combined efforts of students and professionals can lead to a decrease in the number of incidents.  A combination of education, alcohol policies, and peer influences can make a significant impact on student behavior and awareness of these incidents.  Until all students recognize that this is indeed a serious problem on college campuses, we will see no change in student behavior or student response. 

Sources: 
Dartmouth
End Boozing First