SAFETY ON CAMPUS

The following information is provided by the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors :

Faculty, staff and administrators at universities across the United States have had one consistent reaction to last spring's tragedy at Virginia Tech.  All concerned want to ensure the safety of their students and campuses.  Some individuals and companies are marketing assessment instruments to screen students for mental health concerns to "prevent" another violent incident from occurring.

The Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors, AUCCCD, recommends that before colleges and universities react to calls for mental health screenings of university students, administrators consider the following:

 1.  The prevention of violent acts is difficult; completely preventing campus violence is not possible.

 2. Psychological instruments purported to screen for mental health and significant mental disorders should be valid and reliable tests, appropriately researched and normed on college students.

 3. The local campus counseling center director should be consulted regarding the utility of any mental health screening device.

 4.  The United States Secret Service and the Department of Education found that there is no accurate psychological profile for individuals who commit violent acts.  As a result, any screening instrument purporting to assess for violence may have limited utility on a college or university campus.

 5. Because targeted violence is rarely impulsive and other people typically know something about the potential violent act, building a campus environment and sense of campus community where students look out for and are concerned about each other, is not only valuable, it is essential.

 6. Therefore, a focus on primary prevention including activities that reduce risk and enhance communication, is useful in the reduction of violence on our campuses.

 We all want our campuses to be healthy, safe environments where students, faculty, and staff feel welcomed and able to work toward their goals.  When students encounter difficulties and barriers to these goals, the campus counseling center is a helpful resource.

Maggie (Olona) Gartner, Ph.D.
President, AUCCCD
Director, Student Counseling Service
Texas A&M University
TAMU-1263
College Station, Texas 77843-1263
979-845-4427, 979-862-4383 (fax)