Findlay All Hazards Now Offering Conflict Resolution DVDs For Colleges Online

The All Hazards Training Center at The University of Findlay, known also as Findlay All Hazards, today announced online sales of its two DVD training products for college and university residence life staff members, “Conflict Resolution: Situations & Simulations For Collegiate Advisors” and “Conflict Resolution: More Simulations For R.A.s.” The interactive DVDs are the state-of-the-art tool for preparing new college resident assistants to deal with conflict situations in their residence halls.

Most conflict resolution training relies on “role-playing,” where a residence hall director or returning R.A. plays the part of a troublesome student. The R.A.-in-training then tries to calm the upset party and is graded on his or her performance according to the college’s policies.

Consultants at Findlay All Hazards, which has provided training services to colleges on this subject for a number of years, believe that approach is lacking. “R.A.s in training need to experience conflict situations in order to learn from them,” said Randy Van Dyne, executive director at Findlay All Hazards. “But role-playing sessions aren’t a valid means for that. Asking residence hall directors and returning R.A.s to become actors isn’t fair to anyone. The trainee never gets an experience that seems realistic.”

Findlay’s approach redefines the R.A. training session. The “Conflict Resolution” DVDs are disc-based safe- stress simulators that present a series of interactive scenarios. In each, a troubled student directly and realistically confronts the R.A.-in-training from the video screen. The trainee must react to the on-screen characters as he or she would in real life.

With the help of an included training manual, residence hall directors judge the R.A.’s conflict-resolution skills. When the R.A.-in-training reacts appropriately, the trainer uses a private menu on the disc to choose a subsequent scene where the character in crisis is calmed, and the situation is relaxed. If the trainee responds to the character’s dilemma the wrong way, the trainer can escalate the situation by choosing a video clip where the character becomes an even greater threat to the R.A. or others.

“The goal,” said Van Dyne, “Is to teach your R.A.s to safely ‘talk someone down’ and resolve conflicts of many kinds. All you need is a DVD player, or a laptop and a projector. No more role-playing, no more pretending. Now you have an intense and repeatable example of student conflict situations.”

Findlay All Hazards has used the DVDs with clients for two years, and a number have purchased their own copies. Now, the DVDs are available through findlayallhazards.com and from Amazon. Customers must download supplemental materials, including the trainer’s manual, from the Findlay All Hazards site in order to conduct training. There’s no extra charge for these materials.

Randy Van Dyne said, “We’ve had a great response to the DVDs from their first users. Recent updates to the manuals have made them even easier to use, and they have great shelf life. Our customers expect to train R.A.s with the “Conflict Resolution” DVDs for year and years.”

“Conflict Resolution: Situations & Simulations For Collegiate Advisors” and “Conflict Resolution: More Simulations For R.A.s” are each priced at $250. A discount is offered for purchases of both DVDs together. Contact the All Hazards Training Center at The University of Findlay at conflict@findlay.edu or call 800-521-1292.