Show Colleges educate in campus survival Larry Gordon Los Angeles Times Discussions about social life academic success and meal plans still dominate college freshmen orientations but a more somber note also is being heard this season as new students lug their laptops and nd mini-fridges mini into dorm donn rooms In the wake of the shooting massacre at Virginia Tech Techin in April many colleges and universities are forcefully tackling issues of security and mental health during summer orientation seminars rs and greet- greet the-frosh the gatherings herings with parents and new students before regular classes begin Some are introducing new emergency notification systems or reinforcing procedures already in place more explicitly telling students howand how howand howand and when to seek mental health counseling for themselves and urging them to report a classmate who seems to need intervention as the Virginia Tech gunmen desperately did before he killed 32 people and himself in the campus massacre that the I think its it's safe to say incident at Virginia Tech brought cam campus pus security ty issues to a higher priority level and we actively talked about those issues Amy Johnson assoc associate ate dean of students at the University of Southern California said aid of the sc series es of two day ori orientations f the Los Angeles school held during the summer At more than of the schools school's students professors and staffers have signed up to receive emergency notices since the new system named Trojans Alert became Sun Sur ival Continued on page 5 Campus Survival Continued from page 1 I available Aug 1 I according to campus police chief Carey Drayton Its one of those things we have and hope to never use Drayton said stressing it would be triggered only by serious events like a major earthquake or reports of a gunman on campus Still the references to violence and how to avoid it are often unavoidable as the school term starts officials report Many many campuses are addressing this forthrightly said Kevin Kruger associate executive director of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators a Washington based group that focuses on student life Theres been a lot of dialogue throughout the summer Yet while those talks introduced a dark tone to orientation and freshman welcome weeks they did not dominate Kruger added College remains an exciting opportunity for young people The excitement still exists This is not changing the basic delivery of orientation he said The Virginia Tech attack prompted the University of California Los Angeles to add a new feature to its orientation sessions which were offered 18 times throughout the summer to groups of freshmen and transfer students The new hal half f presen tation called How Bruins Handle It detailed ways to cope with such stressful factors as academic pressure homesickness making friends and depression according to Roxanne Neal UCLA's orientation program director Discussions also focused on mental health resources on campus and how to watch for signs such as not leaving dorm rooms that a friend might be having psychological troubles The goal was early prevention Neal explained What to do in a more proactive sense rather than focusing just on when something happens Incoming UCLA freshman Daysi Alonzo said she she felt very reassured by seeing those videos and hearing about security measures on campus But the year old from South SouthGate SouthGate SouthGate Gate Calif said she does not think many students dwell on the possibilities of danger We Ve are more nervous about things like leaving home being independent for the first time she said Am I to pass my classes Will I have time to do all I my reading Contemporary p parents arents already are much more involved in their childrens children's college education than previous generations and their worries about another Virginia Tech-like Tech incident are prompting discussions as they drop off students at schools across the country officials said Anticipating questions from p parents rents about the Virginia Tech killings UC Santa Barbara added new I material to the handbook it I gave out to more than I families during a series of ii Ii I two-day two orientations during I the summer One section j l stated that the massacre i showed that universities I l lare are not ivory towers I insulated from the concerns 11 1 and dangers of the real I world i We really wanted to put I it all out here for them said Debbie Fleming UC Santa Barbaras Barbara's associate dean of students student The campus sought to reinforce the philosophy that new student should be bJ proactive in safeguarding t k their own emotional and physical health |