Campus violence is a major issue that affects our society in a significant way. College goers face different kinds of violence in their college life, and it impacts their life, in a significant way. This paper intends to discuss the interview conducted with the campus counselor on various aspects associated with campus violence such as types of violence, response of college and prevention of violence. The interview was conducted over the phone.
Major types of violence took place in campus are:
- Sexual Assault: this violence refers to unauthorized or forceful sexual contact. Under this category violence’s such as rape, sexual molestation and physical contact falls. Here consent refers to active participation by another person.
- Domestic Violence & Dating: this refers to close partner violence, where one person uses power in order to control other person. Major symptoms of such violent behavior are possessiveness, threats, intimidation, abusive language, isolating, yelling, and breaking goods.
- Stalking: this refers to frequent and undesired attention, contact, any action directed to a person, and harassment. Such incidents disturb youngsters and harass them badly. Violence and stalking may make others feared and affect their personality in several ways. Usually stalkers are known persons, neighbors, relatives, and former dating partner.
- Dynamic of interpersonal violence- in most cases of campus violence, women are the victims and men are perpetrators. Though, in some cases, women are perpetrators and men are survivors. Campus violence affects people irrespective of their sex, race, region and religion, however, in some instances people with some special identifications are targeted. It has been observed that sexual offences are committed often by habitual offenders.
There are a number of symptoms that may indicate potential violent behavior. These symptoms may appear in the childhood, and there is a need to rectify such behavior on the appropriate time. The child, who is deprived of affection and has been subject to violent behavior in his or childhood, is more prone to adopt a violent behavior. Such child may turn into a violent person who gets pleasure in harassing others. It has been observed that the root of violent behavior lies in the childhood of a person (Whitaker & Pollard).
When any violent incidents take place, college usually tries to prevent such incidents from taking place. A good college administration takes step to trace out the problem, and its basic causes instead of only punishing the offender. It is easy to punish the violent person, but curing the person is the most important thing, and it should be exercised to eradicate such things. College administration should always endeavor to solve this issue in a convenient and complete way.
