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