Joining them were student conduct professionals, Title IX coordinators, victim/survivor advocates, as well as faculty from 14 different colleges/universities.

鈥淚 was humbled by the wisdom and different perspectives that were brought from faculty and staff from other universities to this training,鈥� said sophomore Emma Petersheim. 鈥淚t was extremely meaningful to be there as one of four students at the training because we were able to get feedback from experienced adults who have worked with students for many years as victim鈥檚 advocates.鈥�

Hosted by Skidmore College sociology professor and Little Book author David Karp, the training included three eight-hour days of facilitation work, group engagement, and roleplaying. Karp is the author of聽 The Little Book of Restorative Justice for Colleges and Universities: Repairing Harm and Rebuilding Trust in Response to Student Misconduct. [The has strong ties to EMU鈥檚 .]

Petersheim, along with fellow sophomores Katrina Poplett and Meg Greene and first-year Noah Haglund, are currently taking a course on restorative justice (also known as RJ) and trauma awareness, taught by Professor , who traveled with the group. , restorative justice coordinator at EMU and , associate director at the , also participated.

鈥淭he other colleges represented seemed to be very impressed by the engagement of the EMU students,鈥� said Poplett. 鈥淢ost of the other people there worked in the conduct offices or in administrative positions. They were all somehow related to conduct or sexual violence offenders at colleges.鈥�

Among the skills practiced was the use of conferencing and circles to address student misconduct. Four experts from New York and Pennsylvania helped lead the training.

鈥淢y hope is that from this experience I can be a resource at EMU to help cultivate hard conversations that need to happen,鈥� said Petersheim. 鈥淚 hope to use this learning experience as a resource going forward within University Accord.鈥�

, the campus facilitation and mediation group, has recently sponsored the creation of the student-led Team Accord. Team Accord, made up of graduate and undergraduate students, seeks to encourage education, training and facilitation of restorative justice within the EMU community.聽Poplett is a member of Team Accord and her three fellow students plan to join next year.

鈥淎t EMU, we talk about RJ so often that people have become cynical and make fun of it,鈥� said Poplett. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 vital for students be educated, to get engaged in RJ, and to become facilitators. In addition, it鈥檚 very valuable to have students working with Jon [Swartz] so that it鈥檚 not just him working on restorative justice. It makes it a lot easier for him to do his job well.鈥�

On campus, when harm is done, Swartz says that many times the initial questions are 鈥淲ho did it? And what do they deserve?鈥�

鈥淭hese kinds of questions put the focus on 鈥渙ffenders鈥� only, which can often silence the voices of those who were impacted,鈥� said Swartz, who wants to 鈥渕ove the conversation to asking questions like 鈥榃ho has been impacted? What will those most impacted/harmed need? How can those needs be met? Who is responsible to meet those needs? What if justice looked more like healing? What would a process to support that look like?鈥�”

Attending such trainings helps professionals and students, those most affected by the process, see that similar questions are being asked on other university and college campuses.

Portions of this article were first published in the April 14, 2016, issue of The Weather Vane.

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Strong interest in such a program, and in its results, lends support to a decision by 草莓社区 to launch the first graduate-level in the United States in the fall of 2014.

Luciani coaches all the teachers at one Los Angeles school, , enabling them to run community-building circles with their students at least once per week. He also facilitates circle processes to address disciplinary matters at the school, providing an alternative to traditional methods like suspension. In a low-income neighborhood in South Los Angeles, AHHS students 鈥� about 70 percent Latino and 30 percent African American 鈥� are often dealing with the effects of domestic violence, gangs and poverty in their lives. (Luciani is employed by the , which runs the pilot program at AHHS.)

One goal for the restorative justice program at the school is to interrupt the 鈥渟chool-to-prison鈥� pipeline. Luciani points to data showing that students who are suspended are more likely to drop out of school and become involved with crime. By using restorative justice principles as an alternative method to deal with disciplinary problems, Luciani and his colleagues aim to keep students in school as much as possible, heading off the long-term negative consequences that suspension can set in motion.

According to a preliminary analysis of the program, 124 circle processes involving 1,144 participants were held at the school between September 2013 and March 2014. That total includes 48 community-building circles and 76 conflict and healing circles. Anecdotal evidence from teachers, Luciani says, shows that the community-building circle processes have helped create better learning environments for students.

鈥淓verybody really bought into the process because they saw the transformation that restorative justice was bringing,鈥� said Luciani.

Circles are also becoming a part of the school鈥檚 culture, and have even been initiated by students who become aware of conflict.

鈥淭he great thing is that it becomes natural,鈥� says Luciani. 鈥淚f something is happening, it becomes the response: 鈥楲et鈥檚 have a circle.鈥欌��

The restorative justice pilot program at AHHS is an early step toward an ambitious goal set by the Los Angeles Unified School District: to implement restorative justice programs across the district by 2020.

Deborah Brandy, school operations coordinator for the district, said that implementation will begin with restorative justice training at all the division鈥檚 hundreds of schools. Central office staff will then provide ongoing to support to teachers using circle processes and other restorative practices now being put to use by Luciani and his colleagues at AHHS. Several other schools have also begun similar pilot programs.

鈥淭he schools that have begun implementing the restorative practices 鈥� have seen a difference in the behavior of the students, in terms of feeling more comfortable communicating with peers and with adults,鈥� Brandy said. 鈥淚f there is a need or an issue, they feel comfortable coming to an adult to discuss it prior to taking action on their own.

鈥淭hose skills are critical for helping students become more successful in schools, as well as in society,鈥� she added.

Luciani applauds the district鈥檚 commitment to restorative justice, but cautions that it will need significant investment to succeed. Suspending a student is an easy, five-minute process, he says. Facilitating a circle process can take hours, and requires having qualified facilitators already in place.

Originally from Belgium, Luciani entered the master鈥檚 program at primarily interested in international relations and macro-level . After learning about restorative justice at CJP, however, and completing his practicum with , which offers mediation, facilitation and other services to EMU, he developed a deeper appreciation for the interpersonal, human aspects of peacebuilding.

鈥淭he whole restorative justice approach really makes sense,鈥� says Luciani. 鈥淚t just connects people together as human beings. I really believe in it.鈥�