What Happened at the University of Missouri?

The following is an excerpt of an AP article on the present mess at the University of Missouri which resulted in the resignation of President Wolfe:

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The president of the University of Missouri system and the head of its flagship campus resigned Monday with the football team and others on campus in open revolt over what they saw as indifference to racial tensions at the school. President Tim Wolfe, a former business executive with no previous experience in academic leadership, took "full responsibility for the frustration" students expressed and said their complaints were "clear" and "real." For months, black student groups had complained that Wolfe was unresponsive to racial slurs and other slights on the overwhelmingly white main campus of the state's four-college system. The complaints came to a head two days ago, when at least 30 black football players announced they would not play until the president left. A graduate student went on a weeklong hunger strike. To read the remainder of the article click here.


As the facts become more clear in the upcoming days and weeks I am sure one thing will remain crystal clear: regardless of the type of institution, pervasive issues that are allowed to continue ALWAYS come back to those in charge at the top.

It surprises me that an academic institution would hire someone with a complete lack of experience in academic matters and expect that person, regardless of past business success, to have a thorough understanding of how fragile and critical the academic climate is to an institution. Make no mistake, this is more the fault of those hiring Mr. Wolfe in the first place as he was clearly inadequate as a Leader in an institution in which character matters just as much or more than money, or at least should. 

By Tom Letson

Tom Letson, MA LPC LCADC provides commentary on the issues of bullying, anger, substance abuse and more. Tom is a NJ Licensed Professional Counselor and Public School Anti-Bullying Specialist. He has spent 30 years working in schools, criminal justice and substance abuse settings. His private practice is located in Marlboro, NJ and he continues his 20+ years as a passionate high school football coach. 

Safe Bully Reporting Method for Students

I developed the anonymous reporting method found on Bullystoppers.com in 2001 due to the lack of existing forms of anonymous reporting available to students who were suffering from the hands of bullies at school. The use of names or initials in reports is not permitted for the following reasons:

1. To help protect the identity of students making reports so the fear of reprisal from bullies is greatly reduced. This addresses the common concern that the bullying becomes worse once it is reported to the school because the bully becomes angry at the victim for causing him trouble. It should be noted that the primary reason bullying ever becomes worse after reporting it to schools is because school staff does not effectively follow up and monitor the situation. Frankly, the bully has to be in fear of a vigilant staff and subsequent severe consequences if the bullying occurs again.

2. To increase Bystander reporting by addressing the pervasive and common belief among school age kids that telling is being a "tattletale" or "rat" and having this label is social taboo which kids will avoid at all costs. 

3. To help prevent false reports in which students attempt to get other students in trouble by putting names on anonymous reports. 

This type of reporting is based on Situational Crime Prevention and works  by identifying "hot spots" for staff to monitor to deter bullying with increase staff presence or to catch unsuspecting bullies in the act. Reports also give staff information to start investigating specific bullying situations. Check out the reporting page on Bullystoppers.com at: http://bullystoppers.com/report_it.html today and please utilize it if your child is being bullied at at school and you desire anonymous reporting. Please note all reports are reviewed personally by me and if names are used on any submitted reports they will be deleted and not posted. Please email me with questions at bullystoppers@yahoo.com.

Bystanders: Responsible to Stop Bullying?

The answer to the title of this Post is: No. Bystanders are not responsible to stop bullying. There seems to be a focus in the field lately that puts pressure on student bystanders to stand up to bullies for the victims and stop the abuse. I have news for anyone who doesn't work in a school: it's not that simple and easier said than done. Although bystanders can certainly be helpful in addressing the bullying they are not responsible for stopping it. They can certainly help, however, in the following ways which are less dangerous for them and more likely to be put into action:

1. Report the incident to school staff or a parent so a report can be made to the school.

2, Take note of other student bystanders witnessing the incident so school staff can interview multiple witnesses to assist in the investigation.

3. Create a distraction during the incident to interrupt the abuse, for example: "Watch out I think a teacher is coming."

4. Attempt to remove the victim from the situation without addressing the bully.

5. Encourage the victim to report the incident to school staff.

6. Following the incident make a point to be friendly to the victim in school possibly include them in social activities if desired and appropriate.

The firm promotion by school staff of a strong anti-bullying policy which includes swift and attention getting consequences for violators is always the best bullying prevention measure at least according to this author, who has been involved in bullying prevention in NJ Public Schools for 18 years.