Reframing Campus Conflict

Texas Conflict Coach

Are you a parent of a college student or an educator dealing with campus conflict? Maybe YOU are a student who's gotten into some trouble on your campus? If so, this shows for you. We spoke with Dr. Nancy Giacomini and Jennifer Meyer Schrage, J.D., editors of their new book "Reframing Campus Conflict: Student Conduct Practice through a Social Justice Lens." Giacomini and Schrage addressed how the culture and diversity of the student population have changed over the years, and how unfortunately, the system for dealing with student conduct and conflict incidents has becoming increasingly legalistic. How do we re-frame campus conflict so that it is inclusive, fair and is an alternative to the costly legal system? Nancy Geist Giacomini, Ed.D. is a private educator, mediator, facilitator, and author based in Chester County, PA. Nancy completed her Educational Leadership Degree at the University of Delaware while a Conflict Resolution Program (CRP) Associate in the Institute for Public Administration. She taught in the Master’s Program, mediated special education disputes for the Delaware Department of Education, and facilitated state-wide dialogue. Jennifer Meyer Schrage, J.D. provides leadership to the Office of Student Conflict Resolution (OSCR) within the Division of Student Affairs at the University of Michigan. During her tenure at UM, Jennifer led the OSCR Team in departmental realignment and championed a nationally recognized full-spectrum menu of conflict resolution pathways, including mediation, restorative justice, and related innovative methods. This Spectrum Model was introduced at the 2008 Gehring Academy (Schrage & Thompson, 2008), featured at the 2009 annual conference and has evolved into a collaborative publication due out this summer.