Program Note:  Eastern Illinois University and the course instructor, Charles G. Eberly, Department of Counseling and Student Development, disclaim responsibility for the authenticy and accuracy of the following student presentations.  These presentations are designed to promote an apprecation of issues faced by administrators in higher education, and are not meant to be definitive or exhaustive papers on the topics discusses.  February 5, 2001.

Monday, March 26, 2001

Leadership and Opportunity-Created in the Midst of a Crisis
Time:  4:10 - 4:35 p.m.

Location: Room 1140, Buzzard Hall, EIU

Coordinating Presenter: Jennie Walk, Counselor, Dislocated Worker Program, Lake Land College

    On January 17, 1994, California State University-Northridge experienced an earth shattering natural disaster just as the spring semester was to begin.  A 6.7 magnitude earthquake caused $350 million in damage.  Every building on campus sustained some type of structural damage.  Despite the chaos, President Blenda Wilson decided to commence the spring semester.  The leadership and teamwork necessary to collaborate the restructuring of the campus was made possible by the dedication of faculty, students, and volunteers.  Wilson demonstrated the type of leadership and administrative skills necessary to effective operate the campus during a crisis.
 

A Crisis from Within the Institution: The Ohio State University
Date:  March 26, 2001
Time:  4:45 - 5:10 p.m.

Location: Room 1140, Buzzard Hall, EIU

Coordinating Presenter: Norm Bedford, Associate Director of Financial Aid, Eastern Illinois University

    African-American students expressed immediate alarm when OSU President E. Gordon Gee announced a plan to restructure the Office of Minority Affairs in May, 1996.  What followed was a two-year struggle which would include the longest sit-in protest ever at The Ohio State University.  Student frustration and determination would create institutional changes at a level not seen since the protest era of the 1960s.  Campus administrators were not ready to encounter the determination Afirican-American students had upon learning about the directives.  The announced restructuring of the Office of Minority Affairs created tenseness, anger, mistrust, and a loss of community between African-American students and Ohio State administrators.  It was a heavy price to pay for improving relations wiith its minority population.

Title:
Date: March 26, 2001
Time: 5:30 - 6:00 p.m.

Location: Room 1140, Buzzard Hall, EIU

Coordinating Presenter:
 

Monday, April 2, 2001

Fire at Seaton Hall University
Date: April 2, 2001
Time:  4:10 - 4:35 p.m.

Location: Room 1140, Buzzard Hall, EIU

Coordinating Presenters:  Tracy Robison, Graduate Assistant, Office of Student Life
                                      Leigh Woodard, Graduate Assistant, Housing and Dining Services

    This presentation will address the tragic fire at Seaton Hall University in New Jersey on January 19, 2000.  Three residents of Boland Hall were killed in the fire, 38 students were injured, with four being critical.  Even though state fire inspectors found 35 fire safety violations in the residence hall, a university spokeswoman said that these violations did not play a role in the fire.  This presentation will offer a chronology of the events leading up to the fire, and the university's response to the crisis.

April 9, 2001

Violence on Campus: Lessons Learned from Kent State University
Date: April 9, 2001
Time:  4:10 - 4:35 p.m.
Location: Room 1140, Buzzard Hall, EIU

Coordinating Presenter: Shelly Friesz, Office of Admissions, Eastern Illinois University

 This program focuses on the events that occurred at Kent State University on May 4, 1970. The circumstances leading up to four students being killed and nine being wounded, and the aftermath will be discussed.  The objective is to learn about violence on campus from this event and the importance of creating a plan of action in anticipation of campus crises.  The presentation will include power point and video visual aids in addition to group discussion.

Poisoned Ivy: Campus Crisis at an Urban Ivy League University
Date:  April 9, 2001
Time:  4:45 to 5:10 p.m.

Location: Buzzard Hall 1140, EIU

Coordinating Presenter: Laurie Vesalo, Associate Resident Director, Greek Court, Eastern Illinois University

    Behind the ivy colored walls of Columbia University in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of New York City, a crisis occurred in April 1968.  Student rebels led a protest resulting in the occupation of five Columbia University buildings, the suspension of classes, fruitless negotiations, a campus-wide strike, and eventually the restructuring of the University.  This program will examine selected aspects of the Columbia crisis and consider the manner in which the administration handled this ordeal.

Crisis on Campus: One University's Reaction to Student Violence
Date:  April 9, 2001
Time: 4:10 - 4: 35 p.m.

Location: Buzzard Hall 1140, EIU

Coordinating Presenters: Rich Givens, Associate Resident Director, Greek Court,  Eastern Illinois University
                                      Scott Venters, Associatte Resident Director, Douglas Hall,  Eastern Illinois University

On March 26, 1999, Michigan State University (MSU) in East Lansing, Michigan, experienced a conflict involving a student riot.  In response to a loss in the NCAA Final Four Tournament,  over 5,000 students took to the streets of East Lansing in a riotous melee.  Their behavior resulted in numerous arrests and over $150,000 in damages.  This program will examine the MSU riot and its aftermath.  Specifically, the response and actions of the university administration will be addressed.

April 16, 2001  (Presentations to be made at Rose Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Indiana)

COURTNEY JOHNSON

NIKKI SCHAFER

KATHY SWINSON

April 23, 2001

The Revised Candle Use Policy for Sigma Kappa Sorority: A Response to Tragedy
Date:  April 23, 2001
Time:   4:10 p.m. - 4:35 p.m.

Location: Buzzard Hall 1140, EIU

Coordinating Presenter: Michelle Gaddini, Admissions Counselor,  Eastern Illinois University

There is increasing pressure for legislation in state legislatures throughout the country regarding the need for sprinkler systems in campus housing in response to several firre-related campus tragedies in recent years.  To help prevent such trageddies, an additional approach was taken by Sigma Kappa Sorority.  The organization's National Council announced a change in policy regarding the use of candles, banning them immediately from chapter activities including but not limited to ritual, recruitment, secret ceremonies, and decorations.  After a fire in a chapter house, the National Council decided to proactively lead other National Panhellenic Council members to be among the first to develop and enforce such a policy.

Sexual Harrassment: Did Eastern Illinois University do its part?
Date:  April 23, 2001
Time:   4:45 - 5: 10 p.m.

Location: Room 1140, Buzzard Hall, EIU

Coordinating Presenter: Darcie Smith, Admissions Counselor, Eastern Illinois University

    Sexual harrassment has become a major issue in American higher education.  This presentation is a case study of a controversial harrassment issue at Eastern Illinois University.  It is important for us as Student Affairs Professionals to be aware of such incidents on our campuses.  We need to know how to manage cases of sexual harrassement, and what can be done if we are ever confronted with any unwanted sexual conduct in the classroom or in the workplace.

JOHN COFFEY

April 30, 2001

Texas A&M Bonfire: Examining a Campus Crisis
Date: April 30, 2001
Time:

Location:  Buzzard Hall 1140, EIU

Coordinating Presenters: Bill Elliott, Coordinator of International Programs,  Lake Land College
                                          Chanda Boyden, Associate Resident Director,  Eastern Illinois University

Time:

On November 18, 1999, a 40-foot stack of logs being assembled for a Texas A&M football pep rally bonfire collapsed while dozens of students were climbing on it, killing 12 students.  This bonfire was part of a 90-year-old tradition on the A&M campus.  This case study will explore  the errors that led to the collapse of the tower, its aftermath, and how administrators dealt with the overwhhelming crisis that struck their campus.  Administtrators and faculty must be alert to the potential liabilities for campus activities.

A University Tragedy: The Oklahoma State University Plane Crash
Date: April 30, 2001
Time:  5:30 - 6:00  p.m.

Location: Room 1140, Buzzard Hall, EIU

Coordinating Presenter: Beth Conder, Graduate Assistant for Greek Life, Eastern Illinois University

     On January 27, 2001, Oklahoma State University experienced a tragedy that will be a part of their university history for years to come. Following a basketball game in Denver, Colorado, a plane carrying two of the Cowboy's team members, six  Cowboy media members and team administrators and the two pilots crashed, killing all 10 on board.  This presentation will focus on the how the university handled the tragedy, comforting students, faculty, coaches, etc. and what the tragedy has taught other universities about air travel. I will focus on the impact that one tragedy can have on a university, the community, and the nation. The presentation will include power point, video visual aid of the memorial service, an announcement of the crash, and discussion of how administrators at universities can prepare for the likelihood of a tragedy.
 

RALPH GARDNER