Campus Conflict Resolution ResourcesIn 2000 Wayne State University created the Campus Conflict Resolution Resources (CCRR) website to raise awareness about conflict-resolution programs on college campuses. Their goal was to increase the number of existing campus conflict-resolution programs above the current 15 percent level. Funding for CCRR was received from the Conflict Resolution Information Source along with a grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE).
Given the diversity and the number of people on college campuses, these settings are prime locations for a variety of conflicts. Students experiencing newfound freedoms and living in close proximity with one another face challenges and differences on a daily basis. Faculty and staff experience conflicts, both with one another and with students and their families. Other types of campus disputes involve landlords, local residents and law-enforcement agencies. Conflicts are common in the campus environment but can be resolved if appropriate dispute-resolution resources are available. A campus-based mediation program that serves faculty and staff or a peer mediation program can provide a respectful and effective process for resolving these disputes. Benefits of resolution programs are direct and indirect financial savings resulting from time saved, lawsuits avoided, maintenance of positive relationships, and positive perceptions of the institution. Student mediation programs encourage extra-curricular involvement, foster learning, and provide opportunities to practice the use of collaboration skills. CCRR anticipates greater numbers of schools creating programs of their own to successfully handle disputes in higher education.
Many high schools have implemented peer mediation programs in order to help students gain skills to peacefully resolve their conflicts. Students are often surprised and disappointed to find these programs are not available at their college or university. A University of Michigan student explained, “I had been trained as a mediator in high school and learned what a valuable resource the process could be for people in conflict. I expected to serve as a mediator in college; however, when I arrived at the University of Michigan, I could not locate a firm to which I could offer my services.”
CCRR anticipates greater numbers of schools creating programs of their own to successfully handle disputes in higher education. Their website provides a searchable database with links to as many as two hundred schools nationwide sponsoring campus conflict-resolution programs. It also offers sample policies and forms that may be easily utilized by current and prospective programs. Additional resources include student, administrator, and faculty sections and a quarterly publication of the Conflict Management in Higher Education Report that provides news, research, and feature articles useful for individuals interested in higher education conflict resolution. For more information, visit their website (www.campus-adr.org).
