search articles:     from the issue of April 26, 2007         Scarlet Opinion  BY MARIO J. SCALORA, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY AND OWEN YARDLEY, UNL CHIEF OF POLICE We can prevent campus violence While the tragedy of the past week has exhorted us to pause and mourn for our peers, we recognize that lingering questions will remain regarding campus safety. Such questions are understandable given the intense media attention as well as recent hoax activity we and other campuses throughout the nation have suffered. While extreme acts of campus violence are rare, we must consider ourselves fortunate, but not immune from the safety concerns that plague campuses across the nation. We desire to avoid the punditry that has inundated the nation since the tragedy but wish to highlight our thoughts to address the following points. We must recognize our common values that make the university special. Extreme acts of extreme violence such as those at Virginia Tech reflect hatred, intolerance, and bigotry. In addition, we must recognize that these as well as intimidating and harassing behaviors have no place within our campus. Scholarship, creativity, the fruitful exchange of ideas and learning cannot occur within a fearful environment. We must recognize the necessity of preparedness. While violent crime has been rare on the UNL campuses, planning and preparation is an ongoing process for incidents which include severe weather related incidents, a variety of accidents as well as intentional acts. The UNL Police Department has been constantly planning and collaborating with local law enforcement and first responders to develop procedures to contain problem incidents and prevent their spread. Examples of these planning activities also include multiple interagency drills and shared communications activity. Preparedness must also oc-cur at a personal level. Everyone is encouraged to consider how to respond in an emergency, including having contingency plans for your living and work areas if an emergency were to occur. In addition, we all need to take emergency drills (that all of us finds a nuisance) seriously. We must recognize that campus safety is everyone's responsibility. Campus violence is often preceded by warning signs, symptoms, or statements made to others. If acted upon early, reporting of these warning signs may provide the ability to address a situation before it escalates and prevent a crisis. In a proactive measure, the University Police in collaboration with the Psychology Department have developed a threat management program. This effort involves conducting threat assessments of situations (both internal and external to the university) in order to assess the likelihood of escalated violence, as well as identifying measures that can be taken to mitigate this potential. The goal has been to identify potential conflicts before they have the opportunity to escalate, then direct university resources to help resolve the situation. Resources often brought to the table include counseling and other supportive services, with university sanctions or police intervention occurring when necessary. As noted earlier, intimidating and harassing behavior is antithetical to a university environment. Reporting concerning behaviors to UNLPD may allow for preventive measures. If you wish to contact the UNL police, please call 472-3555. GO TO: ISSUE OF APRIL 26 NEWS HEADLINES FOR APRIL 26 Va.Tech attack ripples across UNL Confucius Institute Launched Degree completion program students to start in the fall 'UNL Alert' application will be available for emergency updates Collaboration creates DVD, materials on responsible research conduct Elementary school visit expands into 'Nuestra Familia, Nuestra Universidad' Plant scientists uncover immune system clues Scarlet Opinion 732792S37013X