The recent announcement by Police Commissioner Kathleen O’Toole, Mayor Menino and cllege officials of Operation Student Shield, to crack down on student drinking, vandalism and out-of-control parties is well intended, but needs revamping.
As a proud parent of a Northeastern student, I know I speak for many parents who are apprehensive about another outbreak of violence, if the Patriots win another Super Bowl.
Violent outbursts in universities have been growing since the mid 1990s and it only takes a small triggering event to spark a riot. As an example, a major riot recently broke out in an off-campus housing area of UCONN, over celebrating Columbus Day.
Youth violence is a nationwide problem with no end in sight. The recent brawl between the Indiana Pacers and fans of the Detroit Pistons shows that it is not limited to college students. Lou Holtz will always be remembered for ending his coaching career, not by a win, but by trying to seperate Clemson and the University of South Carolina football players, who were fighting each other, officials, and police, trying to subdue the on-field riot.
Richard Ginsberg, a Massachusetts General Hospital psychologist and authority on how sports can build good character, recently was quoted as saying “more preventative work is needed to give college students more of the structure they need because they are too immature to be on their own.” His observation should be a note of caution in implementing the Operation Student Shield program.
The new program relies heavily on police surveillance, increased legal penalties and harsher discipline by college officials. It uses a “zero-tolerance” threat but only can be enforced after the damage is done. Based on past history, the zero tolerance approach is not a prventive approach in dealing with immature behavior.
When violence erupts, a few are caught and punished, yet many more escape and that is part of the fun in defiant behavior. Even worse, each year there is a new crop of rebellious students arriving on campus, replenishing the ranks of the immature.
“Peer lecturing,” is a part of the Operation Student Shield plan. It calls for the police to recruit student government leaders to attend meetings at police headquarters and then take anti-rioting messages back to students on campus. On the surface, it looks like a reasonable approach. However, no one likes being lectured at, even by peers. And, who will attend these sermons on duties and responsibilities? Defying authority is at the very heart of the motivation to riot in the first place! The students already know it is illegal and immoral to flip over cars, torch property and kill or injure people. But they do it anyway.
In order for Operation Student Shield to work, a more innovative solution is needed. In the late 1960s, Thomas Harris, M.D. wrote a block-buster of a best seller, called I’m OK-You’re OK. In it he explained, in layman’s terms, a better way to communicate and motivate others to positive outcomes in life. It is the basis of an “adult being in control” that addresses the maturity issue that is presently lacking in the Operation Student Shield plan.
Taking the I’m OK-You’re OK philosphy onto college campuses is what’s needed, not just by a few “at risk students,”but all students. The workshop exercises are fun and interesting. Students sign up for their own reasons. Voluntary changes in behavior take place (instead of smoldering defiance).
A calendar of worshops and leadership programs for all students will lessen and eventually eliminate college violence over time. The net result will be Northeastern will graduate better student leaders–citizens adding value to the communit, not destroying it. *********************************************** Thomas Reidy is the author of the newly released book, Winning and Losing It!(A Guide to Student Leadership) available on Amazon.com. His daughter, Carla, witnessed the horrific death of James Grabowski, in the Super Bowl riot on February 1, 2004.
