Whatever your position on how to handle the ever increasing violence in schools, social settings and the work place, one thing is certain, more attention needs to be given to addressing preventative measures. 

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — As a parent, when you send your children to school, you want them to be safe. One Twin Falls father learned, however, that not only was his daughter attacked on campus but there was video evidence of the altercation.

One evening in mid-October, Leslie Montgomery said her daughter received a barrage of emails to her school email account. Montgomery said her daughter— a seventh grader at the Christian private school Greenleaf Friends Academy — had been the subject of bullying by fellow students since enrolling in the school last year.

The pandemic didn’t create new mental health issues on campus, says Matt Niece, Boise State University’s director of counseling services. Instead, the pandemic intensified existing issues, such as anxiety, depression and trauma. Loneliness and homesickness — already a priority for Boise State counselors, pre-COVID — only became worse. Students felt physically alone, and isolated in a polarized, politicized climate.

Boise State University has received a campus grant from the federal Office of Violence Against Women, and this grant has allowed the Gender Equity Center to expand its on-campus efforts to keep the campus safe. The Gender Equity Center is among the wide variety of resources available for students on campus, including survivors of relationship violence.

“Overdrinking is a nationally recognized issue,” said Nathan Fauntleroy, a Boise State Health Services counselor. “We (Boise State) are not immune to that.” BroncoFit’s Parent Handbook for Talking with College Students About Alcohol explains that 7 out of 10 Boise State students drink regularly, and 3 out of 10 will become problem drinkers.

The early years of college can be overwhelming for new students. Many don’t yet know what their major will be so they focus on general education courses like first year writing, college algebra and introduction to biology, which for some can feel like barriers to progress.

Idaho high school students reported less bullying, cigarette smoking and sexual activity in the State Department of Education’s biannual youth risk behavior survey. But teens reported increased e-cigarette use, feelings of hopelessness and suicidal thoughts.