Mediation in the Campus Community

"Far and away the most comprehensive guide available to colleges and universities, or indeed at any public institution with an active staff and an involved client base. Warters presents a wide range of possible program structures and provides the information that organizers and participants need to select the best option."
--James B. Boskey, editor and publisher, The Alternative Newsletter, and professor of law, Seton Hall Law School, New Jersey "Professionally written, logically organized, and delivered in a personal style that is appealing to the reader.... I have found the text to be truly 'user-friendly' with a thoughtful balance of theory with pragmatic suggestions for developing and integrating a mediation program on campus."
--Roger Witherspoon, vice president, Student Development, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
"Warters not only conveys the need for mediation on campus, but the importance of relating mediation to existing mechanisms such as student judicial affairs and other grievance processes."
--Gene Zdziarski, developer of Student Conflict Resolution Services and associate director of Student Life, Texas A&M University, and former board member of the Association for Judicial Affairs
"Every academic administrator will find dozens of specific ideas that will bring relief from the constant challenges of conflict. This book helps show where the conflicts come from--and how mediation and conflict resolution training can support a conflict-competent organization."
--Mary Rowe, Ombudsperson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Anyone who works on a college or university campus knows that tension and conflict are bound to arise in such complex and diverse settings. But as conflicts emerge and disrupt campus life, it becomes clear that campuses must find new ways of resolving disputes before they escalate. One promising alternative to conflict resolution has been mediation.
This timely, practical guide is for academic professionals who want to design, implement, manage, and evaluate effective mediation and conflict resolution programs on their campuses. Author William C. Warters--a widely-known authority on dispute resolution in higher education--offers administrators, faculty, student services professionals, and student groups step-by-step advice on mediation program development. He draws on various case examples and ideas from campuses across the country to illustrate strategies for developing creative and effective responses to conflict. Readers will find a ten-step guide for creating new programs--including tips on training program staff, promoting the program, evaluating results, expanding conflict intervention options, and more.
Mediation in the Campus Community also includes sample program forms, policy language, promotional materials, mission statements, needs assessment questions, a case management script, and other useful tools designed to build effective mediation programs. Additional resources include recommended reading for beginners, listings of specialized training resources, a collection of campus mediation role-play scenarios, and mediation web site addresses.

The Growing Need for Conflict Resolution Strategies in HigherEducation.

Why Mediation Makes Sense for Academic Organizations.

First Steps in Building a Program.

Identifying and Training Mediators.

Publicizing the Program and Creating Referral Systems.

Operating and Maintaining the Program.

Implementing Strategies for Evaluation and Feedback.

Expanding Conflict Management Options Beyond the MediationTable.

Resources, Forms, and Documents.

Appendix A. Statements of Purpose for Conflict ResolutionPrograms.

Appendix B. Goals and Objectives Planning Document.

Appendix C. Job Descriptons for Program Personnel.

Appendix D. Traineed Nomination Form.

Appendix E. Volunteer Mediator Application Form.

Appendix F. Mediator Performance Evaluation Sheet.

Appendix G. Role Play Practice Guidelines.

Appendix H. Scripts for Role Play Practice.

Appendix I. Annotated List of Specialized Resources for CampusMediation Training.

Appendix J. Resolution Agreement for a Rental Dispute.

Appendix K. Workshop Outline for Introductory MediationTraining.

Appendix L. A Mediation Referral Guide for ResidentialAssistants.

Appendix M. Case Referral Follow-up Form.

Appendix N. "Agreement to Mediate" Forms.

Appendix O. Information Sheet for Parties Preparing forMediation.

Appendix P. Procedural Summary of the Case ManagementProcess.

Appendix Q. Blank Mediation Agreement Form.

Appendix R. Post-Mediation Report Form.

Appendix S. Standards of Practice for Campus Mediators.

Appendix T. Mediation Follow-up Form.