Over the last several weeks, dozens of college campuses have experienced pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel demonstrations, many of which have resulted in violence and arrests. Some campus leaders have received significant criticism for how the unrest was handled while others have been praised. Some have come to peaceful agreements with demonstrators while others have completely restructured their police and emergency management departments.
No matter the circumstances, lessons learned from the response and recovery can and should be carried over into the next school year, and campus leaders can learn even more by discussing their experiences with others in similar roles.
To orchestrate these discussions, in place of a traditional keynote, the 2024 Campus Safety Conference will kick off on July 8 with the general session, “GroupProjects Live: Lessons Learned from Recent Campus Protests.”
Historically, the GroupProjects general session puts all CSC attendees in one room to openly discuss two or three safety and security topics impacting educational institutions. Since the current unrest is extremely challenging to navigate and will likely continue into the 2024-2025 academic year, this year’s GroupProjects will solely cover protest successes and challenges.
See Photos from Last Year’s GroupProjects Live!
Led by Campus Safety’s Editor-in-Chief Robin Hattersley, the session will facilitate an in-depth brainstorming workshop on how colleges and K-12 school districts can effectively address the security issues surrounding protests.
Attendees will collaborate in small groups and share lessons they’ve learned, struggles they’ve experienced, and strategies they’ve used to maintain safety and security while protecting First Amendment rights when demonstrations and controversial speakers come on campus.
Additional topics covered during the session will include:
- What normally precedes an unplanned or unannounced protest
- What steps to take when an event request is received or when an unannounced demonstration happens
- Event security and safety planning
- Time and place considerations
- Working with other first responders
- Crowd monitoring and control
- Managing the media and the influx of calls during an event
To learn more about the Campus Safety Conference agenda or to register, visit www.CampusSafetyConference.com.
