Modesto forum to focus on campus violence

A women’s group will hold a March 19 forum in Modesto on school violence, with a goal of preventing incidents such as the slayings near the University of California, Santa Barbara, last year.

The Oakdale-Riverbank-Escalon chapter of the American Association of University Women wants to initiate action to end what it sees as a culture of violence on school and college campuses. The forum at the Martin G. Petersen Education Center will feature a panel discussion on the seeds of violence created by crime, high school dropout rates, sexual assault, substance abuse, mental health and the breakdown of the family.

Arlene Jones, a retired Oakdale schoolteacher, felt she had to do something after the rampage May 23 that killed six people near Santa Barbara’s UC campus.

Jones said she was concerned for her granddaughter, who was getting acceptance letters from universities at the time, and approached fellow AAUW members about stirring some discussion and action in the community.

“The culture is violent anymore in this nation,” Jones said. “I know people will say, ‘How are you going to do anything?’ My thought is if you don’t do something, nothing is going to happen.”

Jones said school and college campuses should be safe havens. When she talked with Stanislaus County Sheriff Adam Christianson about holding a community event, he suggested there was value in exploring a broader spectrum of social issues with ties to extreme violence, she said.

The group has assembled a panel of speakers including Christianson; Office of Education Superintendent Tom Changon; Patrick Day, vice president of student life at University of the Pacific; Oakdale police Chief Lester Jenkins; Family Justice Center Director Tom Ciccarelli; and Madelyn Schlaepfer, director of county Behavioral Health and Recovery Services.

The panel will discuss whether a culture of violence exists on campuses and, if so, what can be done to curtail it. Other participating groups include the League of Women Voters, Delta Kappa Gamma and the County Office of Education.

Elliot Rodger, 22, vented his rage in a video posted on YouTube before killing two women and four men in the May 23 rampage in Isla Vista. Others at the scene suffered bullet wounds or were struck by Rodger’s car as he drove through the college town randomly shooting at pedestrians. Rodger died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after trading fire with police.

Organizers want the Modesto forum to provide an exchange of ideas and a platform for action. People are encouraged to arrive a half-hour before the 7 p.m. panel discussion to visit information tables from the Haven Women’s Center and other outreach groups, and possibly sign up as volunteers.

The AAUW is a national organization that aims to improve the lives of women and their families. Its activities include research, campus leadership programs, and public and legal advocacy.

The local chapter sponsors girls to attend science and math camp in the summer, and has a Speech Trek scholarship competition for students.

The forum, titled “Ending the Culture of Violence on School and College Campuses,” will begin at 7 p.m. March 19 in the Petersen Education Center, 720 12th St., Modesto. For more information, send an email to endcultureofviolence@gmail.com. Learn more about the AAUW Oakdale-Riverbank-Escalon chapter at http://ore-ca.aauw.net.

This story was originally published February 6, 2015 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Modesto forum to focus on campus violence."