In this article, the author conducts a preliminary review of the tragedy at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007. He explains how and why such terrible events occur and provides some insights, principles, and strategies that may assist colleges in their quest to provide an optimally safe environment for their students and staff.

In recent years psychiatric medications have been prescribed for college students and the general public in burgeoning numbers. The vast majority of these prescriptions are written by non-psychiatrists. In the opinion of the author, psychiatric prescriptions are too often written under duress by physicians seeking a quick fix for distressed…

Colleges and universities throughout the country are attempting to grapple with large numbers of highly self-destructive students. These students pose not only a danger to themselves but to their peers and the college staff who are responsible for their care and welfare. Ordinarily, in the course of dealing with such students a myriad of rather…

Offers practical suggestions for college faculty and administrators who encounter disruptive students, emphasizing the need for well-defined codes of student conduct and procedures for handling disruption. The article considers why some university officials hesitate to handle psychiatrically related disciplinary problems. It also examines the role…