Whether heard on the news or read online, it's an undeniable fact that violence in a school setting is on the rise. Even college students are getting angrier and letting out violence in their words and actions. This can be brought on by many factors, but there is something any fellow student can do to help the situation.
But before that, what exactly can cause a person to get to this boiling point of emotion? The simple answer is stress. As a college student, one can be under a lot of pressure. Pressure to keep grades up, to keep a job or two, to join activities, to please friends, and pressure to remain stable even under all that weight. All of this built up stress can lead to really negative emotions and can bring a young person down to a bad place. A lot of the time, a student can feel overworked and underappreciated. It's an all too common theme at this age.
Just around the end of October, charges were made against a Bridgewater State University student by the name of Kristopher J. Sadeck for threatening to bring guns and a nail bomb on campus. The student, at only twenty years old, threatened to bring an AK-47 assault rifle and a nail bomb with the intenion of killing people. Kristopher Sadeck was arrested for these threats against his university, as well as being found with a military style knife in his dorm room. (Taunton Daily Gazette, Kelleher Harris, October 28, 2011)
Are stories similar to Kristophers about ready to unravel any day now from students with similar problems? That's entirely possible. But are fellow students to prevent something like this from happening again? Yes they are. There are a few simple steps that any fellow student can take to help those around them from reaching such an awful state.
Bringing awareness to the issue is certainly one place to start. Young adults sometimes don't realize what's happening to them inside their mind before it's too late. Encouraging students who are starting to feel stressed and out of control to seek the help of a nurse on campus is a good first step. Attention can be brought to this outlet through use of posters and emails. From there, the nurse could handle the students specific problems and inform them on what steps they should take to find stability.
Sometimes, it's easy to spot someone who's really stressed. The way a person carries themselves, talks, etc. can reveal their level of stress and agitation easily. Sometimes it takes another person to come up and talk to them, to figure out something is wrong, and to point it out and talk it through with them. It doesn't take a long term best friend to talk things out with a person, help them organize their thoughts, make them realize what's important, and keep them from doing something stupid that could mess up their future.
The great thing about being aware of the problem of violence on campus due to stress and being able to lend a friendly hand and ear towards anothers situation is that it doesn't cost anything but a few moments of your time. If someone seems upset or off, talk to them. One friend could be the difference between a young person going on to finish their degree, or continuing down a path of emotional distress that could lead to jail. Don't sit back and watch that happen to someone - be active in the lives of those around you, in the lives of your fellow peers.
Bibliography
Harris, Kelleher. "Student at Bridgewater State Charged with Death Threats - Taunton, MA - The Taunton Gazette." The Taunton Gazette. 28 Oct. 2011. Web. 06 Nov. 2011. <http://www.tauntongazette.com/education/x671077192/BSU-student-charged-with-threatening-to-kill-people>.
P.W.
So far I feel like I've met all the criteria for this paper, but I think I could use better transitions between paragraphs.
Have I made this subject important to the reader in my paper? Have I made my solution clear to the reader?
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