Smart Choices and Hard Questions on Campus Crime

In the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy, many colleges have rushed in recent months to improve their policies and programs to prevent campus crime and to deal with any incidents that do take place. At many institutions, campus crime prevention is receiving more attention -- and more high-level attention -- than ever before.

On Thursday, November 15, at 3 p.m. Eastern, Ann Franke, one of the leading experts nationally on risk assessment and legal issues in higher education, will discuss what colleges are doing and the questions they should be asking about their crime prevention strategies. Her presentation will include such issues as:

• The push to buy. Colleges are being urged to buy loudspeakers, text-message systems, new software and many other products and services. How should they consider these questions?
• The policies that matter. What should be "on the books" in terms of how colleges handle crime prevention and actual crimes?
• The mental health dilemmas. How can colleges encourage students to seek help while making sure that people who are a danger to themselves or others are identified?
• Communication 101. What can colleges do to make sure the the left hand knows what the right hand is up to on campus, so crises can be avoided, or dealt with.

This audioconference is designed for colleges that have made changes and are trying to take stock, and for those still contemplating whether they need to make changes. The conference is ideal for:

• Student affairs officers.
• Safety professionals.
• Legal affairs.
• Senior administrators involved in crime prevention.

Ann Franke's 30-minute presentation will be followed by a session in which she'll answer questions posed by participants in the audio conference. The entire event will last one hour.

The "Smart Choices and Hard Questions on Campus Crime" audio conference costs $175 for a single telephone line; listen yourself or with a group around a conference table. Register early -- through Monday, October 29 -- and the cost is only $125. Upon registering, you'll be e-mailed information about how to dial in. A day before the conference, we'll send you a PowerPoint that you can use to follow along with Ann Franke’s presentation. This is an audio-only conference; you will not need to be connected to the Internet to participate.

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About the presenter:

Ann H. Franke counsels educational institutions and other nonprofit organizations on legal and policy matters. Clients rely on her advice concerning risk management, campus policies, and governance, among other areas. She reviews policies, conducts training and investigations, and testifies as an expert witness. She is writing an invited book on risk management for the American Council on Education's book series.

Ms. Franke is President of Wise Results, LLC, a firm she founded in 2005. She previously held senior positions with United Educators Insurance and the American Association of University Professors. In 2005 the National Association of College and University Attorneys named Ms. Franke a Fellow for her sustained contributions to higher education legal issues.

In her volunteer activities, Ms. Franke serves as a consultant on student suicide to the Jed Foundation in New York City and as a trustee of the AAUP's Academic Freedom Fund. Through a Fulbright senior scholar award, she studied the development of private universities in Australia. Ms. Franke lives and works in Washington D.C.

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