Case Assignment
Today, the quality college life is estimated as one of the most urgent and crucial topics for discussion among educational leaders. It is not enough to promote campus safety through clearly defined goals and guidelines. To be safe on campus is characterized by a list of definitions, examples, and evaluations that have to be properly ensured among all representatives of an academic field, including students, faculty members, and the staff (Blake, 2011). However, despite a variety of people and resources required to the maintenance of safety on campus, such step as an understanding of college crimes and other criminal activities, as well as the types of violence and safety information cannot be neglected (U.S. Department of Education & Office of Postsecondary Education, 2016). This paper aims at evaluating campus safety from the point of view of educational leaders, analyzing the existing federal and state policies that can guide students, and focusing on the challenges which may appear while creating a campus equally safe for students, faculty, and staff.
Campus Safety Essence
Campus safety is usually established by special college or university teams. This concept is associated with community health, well-being, positive experiences, and rights’ protection (The Jed Foundation, 2010). The peculiar feature of safety on campus is its variety and the inability to predict a true cause of concerns. For example, Castillo and Schwartz (2013) investigate the possible impact of acculturation, alcohol use, discrimination, and personal identity development. Barton, Jensen, and Kaufman (2010) focus on the role of the disorganization theory and crimes based on racial, ethnic, or age varieties. On the one hand, all these factors may contribute to the progress of society and multiple communities within the same college or university. On the other hand, these issues may question safety and the work of educational leaders from various perspectives.
Educational leaders try to do everything possible to observe how their colleges or other facilities flourish and meet the expectations of students and the staff. Their goal is to ensure safe environments, including physical, emotional, mental, and organizational comfort. However, educational leader alone cannot achieve positive results and effective outcomes. They have to create the communities and provide them with clear instructions and guidelines in order to provide safety for all academic stakeholders (Chemerinsky & Gillman, 2017). Appropriate resources and policies have to be chosen.
Campus Safety Resources
The choice of resources for campus safety promotions depends on the type of a crime that can be reported. Nowadays, students and educational leaders know a lot about crimes and collect and classify them accordingly. According to U.S. Department of Education and Office of Postsecondary Education, crimes may be divided into criminal homicides that are resulted in human death, sexual assaults that include sexual acts without victim consent, robberies when something is taken, burglaries, assaults, and thefts. Educational leaders have to recognize potential threats to students and take the precautionary methods in order to avoid serious complications or the inabilities to solve problems.
The resources for educational leaders to deal with such threats may be specially developed programs with the help of which the integration of emergency efforts and plans are offered. For example, there is the Action Guide for Emergency Management at Institutions of Higher Education that introduces the descriptions of the situations when emergency management is required. The Family Policy Compliance Office and the College Drinking Prevention Officer are the organizations to be addressed for the solution of personal and social problems. Finally, the US Department of Justice and the Department of Education publish the handbooks and guides on how to recognize and report on violence or other crimes in the most appropriate way.
Federal and State Policies
Student and campus safety may be investigated at different levels. Regarding the federal attempts to protect students, educational leaders can rely on the work of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the materials or federal statuses with a number of questions being answered. The Clery Act is one of the main federal documents according to which the FBI and other organizations determine the requirements and monitor crime statistics and warning signs among the campus community. Another necessity includes the submission of all universities and colleges to the Board of Regents as a part of the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety and Fire Report (Clery Center for Security on Campus, 2008). In terms of this report, all academic facilities have to present actual and valid information to the same source and get to know about the results in accordance with the deadlines set.
Regarding state policies and steps taken by separate governments, campus safety is usually determined by local statistics and evaluations. Each university and college can develop own strategies focusing on the needs of the students, faculty, and staff. For example, Columbia University establishes campus safety as an important priority with the intentions to keep low crime ratings and increased crime literacy. However, each educational leader is able to investigate local demands and challenges to make a correct decision in the creation and promotion of new campus safety programs.
Campus Safety: Challenges in Creation
The creation of campus safety is a challenging task for many educational leaders even if they have the high-level knowledge and rich background experience. The list of possible programs is long indeed, including the importance of training of students and staff, the necessity to develop creative ways, the obligation to monitor and report to crimes regularly, and collaboration with police and other potential stakeholders of safety such as parents or community members. However, one of the greatest challenges in creating a safe campus remains the recognition of personal demands and interests of students, faculty, and staff. Today, the demographics of students may vary considerably because of the possibility to invite students from different countries and cooperate with educators internationally. Educational leaders have to understand that student and educator have a number of personal expectations and obligations. It is not enough to give orders and make sure everyone follows the instructions. A leader is challenged by the creation of fair and adequate conditions for each academic community member.
Conclusion
In general, the discussion of student and campus safety should be concluded with the idea that educational leaders have never neglected their responsibility to protect the interests of all inhabitants of a campus. Safety has a million characteristics, and it is impossible to determine all of them within the frames of one guideline, handbook, or policy. Therefore, multiple investigations, life-long learning, and communication should be promoted by educational leaders in their intentions to maintain campus safety. Health issues, mental stability, emotional control, and personal judgments may determine the needs of safety guidelines. However, students have to realize that their decisions, involvement in the discussion of organizational issues, and readiness to follow the standards of their colleges or universities are always appreciated by faculty and staff.
References
Barton, M. S., Jensen, B. L., & Kaufman, J. M. (2010). Social disorganization theory and the college safety. Journal of Criminal Justice, 38(3), 245-254.
Blake, C. G. (2011). Many variables determine campus safety staffing levels. Campus Law Enforcement Journal, 14(5), 20 – 22.
Castillo, L. G., & Schwartz, S. J. (2013). Introduction to the special issue on college student mental health. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 69(4), 291-297.
Chemerinsky, E., & Gillman, H. (2017). Free speech on campus. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Clery Center for Security on Campus. (2008). Jeanne clery act. Web.
The Jed Foundation. (2010). Balancing safety and support on campus: A guide for campus teams.Web.
U.S. Department of Education, & Office of Postsecondary Education. (2016). The handbook for campus safety and security reporting: 2016 edition. Web.