On Monday, April 14, officers at the National Campus Security Summit spent the day preparing for future campus shootings. The event took place at the University of Central Oklahoma. Steven Healy, the chief of police at Princeton University, said that campuses must remain safe, while also respecting the open academic environment; the two factors must not interfere with each other. The conference officially began on Sunday, where officers participated in a mock shooting. The purpose was to teach officers how to react to such chaos during a campus shooting, and also help wounded victims along the way.
In response to the Northern Illinois University shooting, the Campus Security Task Force has presented a 260-page report to Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Formed after the mass shootings at Virginia Tech last year, the task force aims to protect and improve the security of Illinois’ college campuses and universities. Some of the recommendations include enforcing alert methods through e-mail and speaker systems, engage in practice drills at least twice a year and require more training for campus security.
Although students are continuing to be bullied at school, their parents are also taking more defensive action. An article from the Los Angeles Times followed one particular girl’s story. Gizelle Studevent, 17, can recall when harassment from bullies began. At 13 years old, Studevent was suggested to return back to her native country, Mexico. Along with being teased for her ethnic background, Studevent was also mocked for her basketball skills. “I would go home and cry every day,” Studevent said. Many parents of bullied children have begun filing lawsuits against schools, while administrators have been taking stronger action against bullying. In addition, anti-bullying programs have begun to circulate in schools.
The National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center, a non-profit organization, displays a variety of helpful information regarding bullying and school violence. For example, male bullies tend to be more physical in their actions, such as hitting, slapping or pushing. On the contrary, female bullies often start degrading rumors, spread gossip or make sexual comments towards other females. Generally speaking, their actions are more subtle than male bullies. In addition, children that experience bullying suffer from anxiety, insecurities and low self-esteem. Also, victims become socially isolated from their peers. Finally, victims lose their concentration in school, or in extreme cases, avoid attending school.
The Internet, like cell phones, is another popular way to communicate with others around the world. With this technology, however, comes a disturbing breakthrough in bullying. Bullying through the use of the Internet has been dubbed “cyberbullying.” One article in The New York Times focuses on this popular trend among school students. Peggy Hoare, a 13-year-old student, explains that she has become a victim of cyberbullying. Just last year, a fellow eighth grader posted comments on Peggy’s MySpace page that revealed her intimate feelings towards a boy. Such cases can lead to behavior problems at home and at school.
An article from The Indianapolis Star explains an alarming means of delivering violent threats. Cell phones, a common accessory among teenagers, have the convenience of text messaging. Unfortunately, students in Fort Wayne high schools received text messages that warned them of possible school shootings in their area. One student, Dejrick Smith, received the message from an unknown number. The threats insinuated that students would be shot on Monday, April 7. In response to the mysterious message, Smith said, “I thought it was a joke. I didn’t take it too seriously.” Although it was only a threat, Fort Wayne Community Schools officials are taking it very seriously. “We have to, even though chances are, we hope, it’s a hoax and rumors,” said spokeswoman Krista Stockman.
Kim Myers, the mother of Brandon Myers, discusses her feelings about her son’s suicide. At age 12, Brandon took his own life in February 2007. In an article on MSNBC, Myers believes that her son’s teachers and administrators at Voy Spears Elementary School did nothing to stop the bullying. “He was teased in class on the day he died for acting depressed,” she explains. “He was screaming for help. If he had got the help he needed, he would still be alive.” Myers holds the elementary school responsible for her son’s death. As a result, she has hired an attorney and plans to sue Blue Springs School District.
Although this event did not happen on school grounds, another bullying story has made headlines across the nation. An article on CNN featured the vicious attack on a teenage girl. On Monday, April 7, a video was released of the victim being beaten by a group of other teenage girls. According to the girls, the purpose of the attack was to post the video on the internet. More specifically, to post on popular websites like YouTube and MySpace. Victoria Lindsay, 16, was visiting her friend’s house. Upon arrival, six girls were waiting to begin their attack. As a result of the beatings, Lindsay suffered from a concussion, eye injuries, and several other bruises.
Carol Patton, author of “Safe and Sound”, discusses the importance of human resources in regards to campus safety. In this article from University Business, Patton points out the staggering increase of school violence on college campuses and universities; incidents of school violence include murders, suicides or shootings. In the year 2000, three of these episodes were reported. The number jumped to four in 2001, 10 in 2002 and 2004, three in 2006 and four in 2007. Patton explains that human resources staff must work collaboratively with campus security. Human resources can enforce its involvement by using a confidential report system. This allows students on campus to anonymously report acts of hazing, vandalism, sexual offenses and other criminal behavior on campus.
*To view more information, log into the EBSCOhost database. Search under the term “school violence.” The name of the article is “Safe and Sound.”
Another interesting finding in the Lithuanian Academy study—out-of-school activities may promote aggression in children. For example, sports or other athletic activities encourage the masculine gender to become more aggressive. Sports push adolescence and other impressionable youth to have a muscular body, staggering self-confidence and a strong competitive nature. This encouragement to have a more aggressive personality may carry on with the student in his academic career, well after his involvement in athletic activities.
*To view more information, log into the EBSCOhost database. Search under the term “school violence.” The name of the report is “Associations Between School Bullying and Psychological Factors.”
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