National studies show that students who drop out of college usually do so for reasons other than academic difficulties.

Many times, their frustration stems from personal conflicts with their peers, particularly roommates.

Recognizing the role that positive relationships play in the success of its students, Eastern Kentucky University is one of the few colleges and universities in Kentucky with a Mediation Center to resolve student conflicts.

Under the direction of Dr. Amy Thieme, the Center offers mediation services for individuals and groups, conflict training workshops for campus groups and one-on-one "conflict coaching" when one party won't accept mediation. All the services are free and confidential.

"A campus community needs a safe place where students can go to resolve conflicts," Thieme said. "The services we provide build community and stronger relationships because students learn that they can walk away with a solution and be happy about it and not hateful toward the other person."

Cases mediated by the Center include roommate disputes, use of property, inter- and intra-group conflicts, and landlord-tenant conflicts. The Mediation Center does not deal with cases involving illegal activity or violence.

Especially for underclassmen away from home for the first time, the Center is a "good resource for a population not yet equipped with the skills to manage conflicts," Thieme said.

The Center, in Room 519 of the new Student Services Building, is a joint service of the Office of Student Affairs and the Speech Communication Program, which offers a major and a minor in dispute resolution.

Thieme explained how the mediation process works:

An individual involved in a conflict will contact the Center; if the conflict can be resolved through mediation, a trained mediator will contact the other party and obtain agreement to use the Center's services; an agreeable time will be set for mediation; at the mediation, a trained mediator will listen to all concerns and assist the parties in arriving at a satisfying solution; and once a solution has been reached, the mediator will write up the agreement, which all parties will sign. The only record kept is the written agreement.

"The great part is that students are the ones who make the decision about how to resolve their disagreement," Thieme said. "The mediator only helps them get there."

Thieme, an experienced mediator with three academic degrees in conflict resolution management, is the sole mediator and leads all workshops. Eventually, qualified students may
serve as peer mediators under her supervision, she said.

The dispute-resolution major and minor are proving popular with students from the justice-and-safety and human resources fields and those planning to attend law school or seminary.

For more information about the Mediation Center, call Thieme at 859-622-1320 or the Office of Student Affairs at 859-622-2642, or visit www.communication.eku.edu/Thieme/mediation.htm.