Book Reviews / Comptes rendus 80 Nocoletti, J., Spencer-Thomas, S., & Bollinger, C. (2010). Violence Goes To College: The Authoritative Guide to Prevention and Intervention (2nd ed.). Springfield: Charles C. Thomas Publisher Ltd. Pages: 370. Price: $116.69 CAD (paperback), $235.00 CAD (hardcover). Reviewed by Lida Blizard, Ed.D student in Leadership Higher Education, Simon Fraser University In Violence Goes To College (2nd ed.) John Nicoletti, Sally Spencer-Thomas, and Christopher Bollinger provide a comprehensive approach to examining campus violence in higher education compiled from landmark cases and empirical evidence in the field. Since its first publication nearly ten years ago, campus violence has magnified in frequency, volatility, and number of victims as evidenced by the Virginia Tech massacre in the United States and Concordia University incident in Canada. In its second publication, the authors take an innovative approach by conceptualizing violence as a virus with several strains which surface in various forms of perpetrator profile, motives, targets, and outcomes—mutating from campus site to site. Like a virus, there is no magic cure and as a host, institutions of higher education remain vulnerable to violence. The authors encourage a practical prevention versus reaction approach of bridging solid campus community-based leadership with the community at large to address the complexities of campus violence. Each chapter throughout the book reflects the passionate investment of author to issue in the depth of information provided, extent of casework and empirical evidence examined, and scholarly contribution to the field. John Nicoletti’s substantial level of expertise in threat assessment and violence in both the academic and workplace environment, Sally Spencer-Thomas’s expansive work with college student issues and suicide prevention, Chris Bollinger’s considerable campus residential life experience and fervor for research in the area of diversity and hatred, combined with additional writers of parallel expertise, comprise an exceptional body of authors. With collaborative prowess in examining historical cases and empirical evidence, the authors sift through the multilayered complexities of campus violence, to provide a foundation for the reader from fundamental principles to the rippling impact on campus constituents and the community at large. Violence Goes To College is comprised of three sections, each of which has a distinct focus. The first section sets the foundation for subsequent chapters with an overview of campus violence from the root of historical cases across Canada and the United States, and a collation of existing, although limited, empirical evidence. The focus of this section is to familiarize the reader with various definitions, terminologies, and typologies of the perpetrator, selection of targets, and vulnerability of campus environments. For example, factors intended to support student services such as ease of access and predictable classroom schedules can equally place a campus at risk from perpetrators intent to camouflage amongst constituents without being recognized. The reader is apprised of sequential factors that must align for the perpetrator to succeed, and pertinent institutional measures which when implemented, may prove effective in intersecting such a plan. Case review and empirical data of campus violence have revealed key information in that rape, suicide (second-most leading cause of death in college), hazing, hate crimes, rioting, and nonsexual assault are the most prevalent forms of campus violence. The issue of alcohol, described as the leading substance of choice among students, and ultimate catalyst of violence, is examined by the authors, with an emphasis on the role campus constituents play in enhancing awareness. Current statistics may not accurately reflect the incidence and prevalence of campus violence, given challenges of under-reporting by both the victims and institutions of higher education. The second section of the book brings to the forefront recognition that while campus authorities are charged with responsibility and accountability for the welfare of the campus community, they remain challenged to balance students’ fundamental right to freedom and privacy with institutional policy and CJHE / RCES Volume 41, No. 1, 2011 Book Reviews / Comptes rendus 81 security. This section focuses on the primary goal of the book: establishing institutional strategies of prevention; commencing with the importance of recognizing early warning signs, establishing behavioral intervention and emergency management teams, and forming a campus coalition comprised of both campus constituents and community members. The authors instill that institutional leaders play a pivotal role in emulating the institution’s stand on issues of violence, and must therefore establish evidence-based, clearly- articulated, policy and process for management of threats. Frontline constituents such as those actively engaged with students, must be prepared to recognize threatening behavior and enact institutional policy with confidence and competence. Behavioral intervention teams highly trained in threat assessment and violence—linked with campus administrators, counsellors, security, and law enforcement agencies—provide a conduit for reporting, monitoring, intervening, and evaluating campus threats. Dickerson further apprises the reader of institutional legal obligations; from factors which constitute negligence of duty and reasonable care to judicial trends in higher education, advising to use the law as a proactive approach to managing campus violence. The authors discuss the impact on primary, secondary and tertiary victims, as well as campus and community constituents in the aftermath of violence. Considerations for communal management, counseling support, and media management are discussed, emphasizing the importance of visible leadership, crisis response teams, and re-establishing the campus sense of security. The third section of the book builds on the second section with a more individualized focus by dedicating solitary chapters to the most prevalent forms of campus violence: sexual assault and rape, suicide, hate crimes, hazing, avenger violence, rioting, homicide, and arson. Each issue is unveiled with empirical evidence, further unpacking the complexities of social and cultural aspects entwined with motivational factors that influence the perpetrator to commit the violent act. Detailed strategies are articulated in the form of campus policy, response protocol, investigative process, adjudication, and victim support services in correlation with specific forms of crime. The authors include educational, environmental, gender, and social justice approaches to be considered when implementing effective measures of prevention. The authors close in reminding the reader that although institutions of higher education are safe places, when campus violence occurs, it can leave a significant imprint on campus constituents and the community at large. Based on the primary focus of violence in the context of higher education, this book captures an audience of campus administrators and other constituents in search of understanding the issues, and developing effective strategies for prevention and intervention of campus violence. Each author aptly articulates the complexities of diverse forms of campus violence, rooted in theory and case review, understandable and practical for readers to adapt, while consistently and concisely reinforcing the importance of a collaborative campus and community based front. Education and training prepares personnel for incidents, while evaluation of process, policy, and response enables refinement and proficiency of practice. The appendix of the book contains a series of violence response flow charts for readers to review, consider, and potentially adapt to their institutional practice. Although the majority of cases cited by the authors took place within the American landscape, the combined analysis and correlated findings, are of relevance to institutions of higher education around the world. This book serves as an exceptionally practical, understandable, authoritative resource guide for those interested in developing further understanding of, and effectively managing incidents of, campus violence. CJHE / RCES Volume 41, No. 1, 2011