Stopping the Violence: Risk Management, Resources, and … · CHELSEA BOSKA, M.S. KARA EMERY, M.S....
Transcript of Stopping the Violence: Risk Management, Resources, and … · CHELSEA BOSKA, M.S. KARA EMERY, M.S....
C H E L S E A B O S K A , M . S .
K A R A E M E R Y , M . S .
B A Y L O R U N I V E R S I T Y
F E B R U A R Y 7 , 2 0 1 3
Stopping the Violence: Risk Management, Resources, and
Campus-Wide Responding
Stats and Facts
Prevalence
479,000 acts of campus violence each year1
Multi-victim homicide rates are rising when compared with single-victim homicide rates2
4% of women and 11% of men carry weapons on-campus2
1.6% of students report being threatened by a firearm on-campus3
Relevant Concerns
Expense4,5
Lack of empirical data4,6
Finding a balance between prevention and unnecessarily sustaining fear5
Need for a plan and regular drills
Risk Factors
Why College Students?4
Generational changes
Increased academic pressure
Politically charged campuses
Prime locations for multi-victim acts of violence7
Who Carries?
Common student demographics: Male, White, and attending a public school in the South2
Living off-campus, binge drinking, engaging in risky behavior, and living in areas where gun possession is common4
Students who carry are 4.5 times more likely to be shot in an attack12
The Profile of a Gunman
Common Demographics: Graduate students5
Overworked, overstressed, and facing academic failure
Poor work-life balance
Bullied, ostracized, or socially isolated8
History of violence, fascination with weapons, prior stated threats6,8
Odd/bizarre beliefs8
Psychological history, including hopelessness, trauma, paranoia, depression, psychopathy, and psychosis
History of poor impulse control
Problems with family/authority, history of disciplinary problems6
The Profile of a Gunman (cont’d.)
Self-reported concerns link with6: Male
Asian
Suicidal ideation
Mania
Frequent verbal arguments
Concerns?
Threat Assessment8
Personality of Student Poor coping Entitlement Externalizer
Family Dynamics Turbulent family/child relationship Access to weapons Lack of intimacy No limits/acceptance of pathological behaviors
School dynamics
Social dynamics
Primal vs. Cognitive Aggression8
Primal Aggression More reactive aggression
Cognitive Aggression Planned intent
Driven action
More commonly seen in school shootings
Cognitive Aggression Continuum8
1) Hardening: unwilling to compromise opinion/point of view2) Harmful Debate: Becomes more deeply entrenched in
position/perspective3) Actions vs. Words: detached, self absorbed, self righteous indignation,
disregard for opinions/feelings of others, sees themselves as victim4) Image destruction: more direct, destructive, attack victim’s core
identities in an attempt to cause harm in the victim’s community5) Forced loss of face: increasing focus on perceived losses and frustrations
leading to perceived humiliation6) Threat strategies: often responds to perceived threats, isolation,
development of plans7) Complicit tactician: committed to making an attack happen, may inspire
or aid others to act8) Win/Lose Attack: Goal is to crush opponent, willing to take a life9) Lose/Lose Attack: Individual is willing to take their own life in the even
of taking others’ lives
Beyond the Immediate
Lasting effects for the campus Possible loss of students and/or faculty to transfers
Poor ongoing academic performance1
PTSD symptoms
Physical symptoms1
Legal Implications
The Clery Act4
Named for Jeanne Clery
Requires universities to publicize information about campus-wide violence annually
Brochures Include violence information AND information about the
campus policies and responses for a campus-wide event
FERPA vs. HIPAA10,5,13
FERPA Can disclose information
without permission if: Observation
To parents, when student is a dependent
In a health/safety emergency (up to the discretion of the university)
Important to clarify policies about this for your campus ahead of time
HIPAA Doesn’t apply to academic
records and FERPA
Unclear in some cases of treatment records for MH concerns – a call for Dept. of Education to clarify what falls under HIPAA
Disabilities and Section 50413,10
Consider the student’s disability status, and ensure that actions won’t be consider discrimination
Section 504 is used for accommodations, but doesn’t prohibit decisions based on behavior (e.g., violating the code of conduct can still lead to expulsion for any student)
Best course of action is to make a case-by-case decision for each student, rather than a black-and-white decision course
Texas Specific15
August 2012: Bill failed to pass to allow concealed carry at Texas campuses
Bill is up again in 2013
What Can We Do?
As a Counseling Center
Outreach
Education
Collaboration
On a Multidisciplinary Level
Campus-wide monitoring, including police escorts, emergency phones, and video surveillance4
Teach self-defense courses on campus
Educate students about safety procedures and policies
Provide trainings about all relevant decisions, including those related to FERPA5
Practice the emergency responses so that you are ready if/when they are needed
Train all staff to recognize problems, not just CC staff9
Foster a close relationship with students on all levels, so that they have people they can come to with problems7
Working with Campus Police3
Police chiefs report a desire to have more people trained in responding to active shooter situations
Need for clearer guidelines to provide assistance to “at risk” students
Desire for more support from Counseling Centers, including counseling at-risk students about the dangers of firearms
Need for increased firearms violence training for all personnel, to provide information about referral of high-risk students; police should be fully integrated into these processes
Campus-Wide Policies
No data support the idea that handguns on campus would decrease violence7
Social media (and other) threats should be monitored and taken seriously, but avoid overreaction8
Train observers to look for potential threats
Create a peer support network for students to work with one another and recognize risks in one another
Creating a Campus Team10
Purpose: Gathering information about students of concern in a general area, as well as assessing and reacting as needed
Include professionals from multiple disciplines across campus to ensure that information is gathered in a central area Also provide information to students about who to contact with
concerns, and consider an anonymous way to report
Interventions should begin as least restrictive/invasive and increase only as needed
Ensure appropriate documentation, and consideration of privacy concerns in line with FERPA expectations and campus-specific policies
Common Potential Pitfalls10
Poor selection, preparation, and orientation of team members
Stigmatization of mental illness
Misinterpretations of legal restrictions of information sharing
Failure to create clear and well publicized processes and pathways for reporting
Neglecting team dynamics and self-care of the team
Focusing exclusively on reporting, and failing to follow-up
Practicing a single approach, instead of focusing on integration and individualization
Other Considerations8,11
Talk with the student, and refer to the team if needed
Encourage a culture of reporting concerns; provide an anonymous pathway14
Address harmful debate in classroom settings
Identify isolated students and work to build relationships
Monitor shifts from words to actions
Reduce aggression intensifiers: Sleep, stress, substances, sustenance, sickness
Freshman orientation: encourage bonding, inform students of policies
Lessons Learned From Case Studies8
Monitor social networks for mentions of possible attack
Attend to conflicts reported by supervisors, professors, staff, and/or other students (including poor performance or termination)
Note bullying behavior (including teasing, inappropriate “jokes,” and lack of remorse) with both the perpetrator and victim 31% of perpetrators of multi victim campus attacks display threatening behaviors to another
person prior to an attack12
Explore isolated and/or irrational behavior (including stalking or unrequited relationships)
Develop a community of caring
Monitor suicidal students
Students’ Willingness to Report12
Reporting of violence increased when: Strong relationships with police and administration
Feeling connected with the college environment
Create community through freshman seminars and interest groups
Common Areas for Improvement2
Educate students and faculty about measures for emergency communication
Practice drills to test emergency response plans
Case Examples
Dave8
Demographics: Veteran: Tour of duty in Afghanistan Married with two young children; argues often with wife and she is threatening to leave Age 26, older than other students and not much in common with them
Symptoms: Hit with an LED , wasn’t hurt but traumatized, jittery around loud noises flies into a rage Trouble focusing in class, often falls behind Flashbacks of warzone Worrying about bills, children, and future Socially isolated Suicidal ideation Irritable, “jumpy,” often feels depressed
Incident: Argument with another student after being “cut” in line Pushes student to ground Campus police involved Unable to return to classes until complete mandated $800 psychological evaluation Wife leaves in anger
Response: Sits in his car thinking of killing himself or the person that cut him at school
Considerations
Disciplinary actions Balancing punitive and supportive responses
Specific issues related to his veteran status
Develop a sense of safety on campus
Providing support on-campus
Special training for campus police
Aaron8
History: History of fights in high school over minor incidents Anger outbursts in high school History of legal problems in high school for fighting, reckless driving and road rage Attended college career fair where he touched guns though asked not to, and responded “I
know about these kinds of guns.” when reprimanded Roommate has requested transfer after two weeks due to threats to “punch him in the face”
over snooze alarm use Often argues with RA for playing his music too loud Most students in hall describe him as “annoying” because of arrogance and impulse control
problems Referral to campus conduct after punching door in dining hall due to being denied
admission because of forgotten dining card
Incident Posts on his Facebook profile: “This school sucks. Maybe someone needs to teach all these
people here a lesson. Hell, maybe I’ll shave my head and go buy myself a Glock 19. Maybe I’ll get me a FN Herstal and do some killing, Ft. Hood Style.” Another student reads his post and reports it to campus police.
Considerations
Psychological diagnoses
Need for documentation of interventions and consequences
High risk for violent behavior or continued negative interactions
Announced intentions on-line in fair amount of detail
Staff/faculty training for intervening with students like this
Resources
Risk assessment: www.aggressionmanagement.com/caps
http://riskaware.com/
http://www.awareity.com/
Example teacher manual for distressed students: http://dos.cornell.edu/dos/cms/upload/Total-Book-2.pdf
Campus teams manual example http://www.jedfoundation.org/campus_teams_guide.pdf
References
1) Waits, B.L. & Lundberg-Love, P. (2008). The impact of campus violence on college students. In M.A. Paludi (Ed.), Understanding and Preventing Campus Violence (pp. 51-70). Praeger Publishers: Westport, CT.
2) Seo, D., Torabi, M.R., Sa, J., & Blair, E.H. (2012). Campus violence preparedness of US college campuses. Security Journal, 25(3), 199-211.
3) Thompson, A., Price, J.H., Mrdjenovich, A.J., & Khubchandani, J. (2009). Reducing firearm-related violence on college campuses – Police chiefs’ perceptions and practices. Journal of American College Health, 58(3), 247-254.
4) Baker, K. & Boland, K. (2011). Assessing safety: A campus-wide initiative. College Student Journal, 45(4), 683-699.
5) Fox, J.A. & Savage, J. (2009). Mass murder goes to college: An examination of changes on college campuses following Virginia Tech. American Behavioral Scientist, 52(10), 1465-1485.
6) Hayes, J.A., Crane, A.L., and Locke, B.D. (2010). Save me from myself: College students’ fears of losing control and acting violently. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 24(3), 181-202.
7) Sulkowski, M.L. & Lazarus, P.J. (2011). Contemporary responses to violent attacks on college campuses. Journal of School Violence, 10(4), 339-354.
8) Van Brunt, B. (2012). Ending Campus Violence: New Approaches to Prevention. New York: Routledge
9) Ingemann, M., Jackson, L., & Pittman, J. (2009) Partnerships for effective campus crisis responses. International Journal of Emergency Mental Health, 11(2), 97-104.
10) Campus teams manual: http://www.jedfoundation.org/campus_teams_guide.pdf
11) Paludi, M. (2008). Understanding and Preventing Campus Violence. Westport, CT: Praeger Publishers
12) Sulkowski, M. (2011). An investigation of students’ willingness to report threats of violence in campus communities. Psychology of Violence, 1, 53-65.
13) Howard, L.G. (2008). Laws affecting postsecondary institutions’ efforts to prevent, respond to, and recover from acts of violence on campus. In M.A. Paludi (Ed.), Understanding and Preventing Campus Violence (pp. 115-127). PraegerPublishers: Westport, CT.
14) Paludi, M.A., Paludi Jr., C., & Santos, M. (2008). Sample policies and procedures for preventing and dealing with campus violence. In M.A. Paludi (Ed.), Understanding and Preventing Campus Violence (pp. 153-189). PraegerPublishers: Westport, CT.
15) Texas concealed handguns licensing regulatory service division: http://www.txdps.state.tx.us/internetforms/forms/chl-16.pdf