Enough is Enough campaign to stem societal violence

Key Messages

Despite the attention given to extremely rare cases of multiple homicides on campuses, secondary and postsecondary schools and campuses are generally safe environments.

While schools and campuses are generally safe environments, any act of violence is unacceptable in the very places our nation's students should expect the greatest peace and security in order to be successful in their academic pursuits.

Schools and campuses are not, by nature, violent places. Too often, the violence that erupts in the academy spills over from outside the campus. To this end, it is imperative that any effort to stem societal violence before it reaches our nation's schools and campuses MUST involve parents, students, and community members, in addition to administrators, counselors, and teachers.

Those committed to putting an end to school and campus violence must work with students along a continuum that builds community. Most students recognize that violence is not a desired outcome, but it is service to others and the building of community that offer the best hope of preventing violence and/or putting the support systems in place for an effective recovery, should a violent incident occur.

Because of their rarity, acts of violence are largely unpredictable. While we all want assurances that we -- and those we care about -- will be safe as we go about our daily routines, ultimately, we can only work toward building a shared community in which such acts of violence are not glorified, and in which all members of the community are supported and intimately known.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, "violence and antisocial behavior are less likely to occur in schools with the following characteristics: positive school climate and atmosphere; clear and high expectations of all students; strong student bonding to the school; high levels of student participation and parent involvement; and opportunities to gain skills and develop socially."[1]

Following are ways in which these findings can be extended to postsecondary environments:[2]

"The essence of the environmental management approach is for administrators, faculty, and staff, working in consort with the local community, to change those campus and community policies, practices, infrastructure, and culture which promote violence and tolerance for it."
Address the entire continuum of violence.
Incorporate collaboration by all campus constituents, not just student health services or police.
Infuse into all aspects of curricular and co-curricular life on a continuous basis.
Focus on patterns of and determinants of perpetration rather than of victimization.
Recognize that violence is a learned and gendered behavior.