Inside Iowa State

October 21, 2005

National summit comes to campus Nov. 10-11

by Annette Hacker

The city of Ames, Iowa State and the Government of the Student Body will host the National Summit on Preventing Civil Disturbances Nov. 10-11 in the Memorial Union.

The summit is a result of a recommendation by the Veishea task force and commission, which were formed to analyze Veishea problems and community relations following the 2004 Campustown disturbance. The conference will build on the body of knowledge from two previous national summits -- the 1998 "Rites of Spring: Exploring Strategies for System Change" conference held in Crystal City, Va., and 2003's "National Conference Addressing Issues Related to Celebratory Riots," sponsored by The Ohio State University, the University of Minnesota and the U.S. Department of Justice.

"Local communities continue to struggle with celebratory riots, but much has been learned about how to prevent these disturbances," said Chuck Cychosz, support services manager for the Ames police department and one of the event's coordinators. "By bringing in well-known researchers and other campus and community leaders from around the U.S., we can review best practices and begin to focus on action plans and solutions for the future."

The summit will provide the latest perspectives on event management, alcohol, zoning and student involvement. Student leadership, town-gown cooperation, housing patterns and police case studies will be discussed.

Community members are encouraged to attend the summit. Organizers hope it also will attract university and city administrators, students, elected officials, neighbor-hood leaders, student affairs experts, health care professionals, social scientists and law enforcement staff from around Iowa and the country.

Craig Anderson, Distinguished Professor of psychology, will give the luncheon address at noon on Nov. 10. His talk will reflect on the research and the roles we play in addressing community disturbances. Anderson is a leading authority on aggression, particularly in the area of media and video game violence. He also has published extensively in the areas of social, personality and abnormal psychology.

The registration fee for the summit is $100. Fees may be waived for students who write a brief essay about why they would like to attend and how the information presented at the summit may be used. Students will be required to provide proof of enrollment at check-in.

Complete information about the National Summit on Preventing Civil Disturbances, including schedule, registration form and speaker biographies, is online at http://www.iastate.edu/summit.

Summit speakers

Other speakers at the summit are:

Clark McPhail (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign) and John McCarthy (Pennsylvania State University), who will discuss individual and collective behaviors in crowds.

Cynthia Buettner (Ohio State University), who will outline that school's immediate and long-term response to a disturbance in 2002. She will share how research and the evidence base was used, and outcomes of Ohio State's efforts to date.

Linda Langford (Center for College Health and Safety, Education Development Center Inc., Newton, Mass.), who wrote the proceedings for the 2003 Ohio State summit. At the Ames summit, she will present a framework to help participants translate and apply what they learn into action at the campus and community level.

Iowa State will host a national summit on preventing civil disturbances Nov. 10-11 that builds on two earlier conferences (1998 and 2003).