Dear Editor,
I do not understand the tone or meaning of Rosie Sinapi’s column (March 17) regarding President Morgan’s memo which encourages the University to take action against threatening behaviors. Is Ms. Sinapi suggesting that threatening behaviors should be tolerated or ignored because students are frustrated or angry? Or is she suggesting that violence or threats of violence have indeed been tolerated, rendering the memo meaningless?
If her suggestion is the former, then we need to increase our efforts toward teaching respectful conflict resolution skills. Most of us on campus recognize hurt, frustration and anger and are willing to problem solve. Being hurt or frustrated or angry is understandable. But, the behavior in the presence of those emotions must remain respectful. I am continually surprised that some people don’t seem to be able to separate their feelings from their behavior, and assume that out of control feelings make out of control behavior acceptable. If we all made efforts toward problem solving, and if we follow the President’s memo, perhaps we could even reduce the amount of frustration people experience.
If her suggestion is the latter, I would caution Ms. Sinapi to know all of the facts before chastising the President for his memo. I know nothing of the incidents alluded to in her column. However, I would rather help the President curb angry, hostile behavior, and support more conflict resolution, than suggest that many students on campus are so angry that they feel like slapping others. Perhaps we should view the President’s memo as evidence that we may have problems that need solutions, rather than that we have many out of control students.
I applaud the President’s courage to attempt to stop violent and threatening behavior.
Dr. Barbara Nicoll
Associate Professor of Child Development
