THE DALAI LAMA'S PARTICIPATION IN A PANEL ON YOUTH VIOLENCE prevention shows the worldwide interest in this critical topic, according to the IU School of Education professor who organized the event.

"The issue of youth violence is a critical concern in our society, and evidence of this is not just what happened in Littleton but what has happened since," said Jonathan Plucker, assistant professor in counseling and educational psychology.

Plucker said the panel discussion members -- an international religious leader, a representative from the business community, the nation's former top law enforcement official, and a leader in the justice system -- reflect the diverse fields that need to be included in a constructive approach to peace-building.

"People who think that school violence is a passing tragedy that will go away are really kidding themselves," he said. "A tremendous effort from many sectors that goes beyond the schoolyard will be needed before this problem is eradicated. Our panel is only one step in that process, but it can become a significant step because of the audience we can reach over the Web with this program."

The panel members are His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet; Richard Kimberly, vice president of government relations for the Kimberly-Clark Corp.; William Sessions, former FBI director; and Chief Judge Sarah Evans Barker of the U.S. District Court in Indianapolis.

REDUCING SCHOOL VIOLENCE INVOLVES MORE THAN installing metal detectors, according to Jonathan Plucker, IU assistant professor in counseling and educational psychology.

"The first reaction to the threat of violence in our schools is to heighten security, such as installing metal detectors and increasing the number of security personnel," said Plucker, who directed the Aug. 13-15 IU School of Education conference, "Positive Approaches to Violence Prevention: Peace-Building in Schools and Communities."

"While steps like the metal detectors are understandable and necessary for the short term," he said, "they do little to address the problems that cause violence in the first place."

He said the goal for some 200 educators from across the country who attended the conference was to meet and exchange constructive ideas for youth violence prevention.

AFTER TRAGEDIES LIKE WHAT HAPPENED AT COLUMBINE HIGH SCHOOL and other school shootings, many experts call for tougher, "zero tolerance" policies and an increase in school security measures.

An opponent of such policies is IU Professor Russell Skiba, who points out that there is little research support for such methods in combating school violence. Instead, Skiba favors preventive strategies to quell school violence.

"Punishment decreases behavior. It doesn't teach children new behavior," he said. "Zero tolerance and exclusionary discipline are hammers that may be needed in certain circumstances, but in order to develop safe and responsive schools, we need a whole range of tools -- tools that teach and tools that help children from troubled backgrounds."

Skiba, professor of counseling and educational psychology, is director of the IU Institute for Child Study. He also directs a clinic of the school psychology program serving children with learning and behavioral problems, as well as their families.

He teaches in areas of intervention and consultation for children, especially management of classroom behavior. He conducts research in school discipline and violence prevention and in other services for students exhibiting challenging behavior.

He was a member of the expert panel that helped draft the White House response to previous incidents of school violence, "Early Warning, Timely Response: A Guide to Safe Schools."

TIBET EMERGED ONTO THE STAGE OF WORLD HISTORY in the seventh century, when its rulers created a widespread empire that fought off the Chinese in the east and the Arabs in the west.

According to Elliot Sperling, IU associate professor of Central Eurasian studies, when this Tibetan empire collapsed in the ninth century, the Buddhist sect in Tibet grew dramatically. At the same time, Tibet developed its own tradition of combined secular and religious rule, culminating in the establishment of the Dalai Lama's government in the 17th century.

During the lifetime of the 13th Dalai Lama, Tibet existed as a fully independent state. However, the incorporation of Tibet into the People's Republic of China in 1951 created a situation of conflict. In 1959, the Tibetans rose in revolt in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, and the Dalai Lama fled his country.

"The following years saw tremendous suffering in Tibet," Sperling said. "The Dalai Lama has worked tirelessly to bring international attention to the political issues in his homeland."

In 1989, the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his nonviolent struggle for Tibet's freedom.

THE LATEST IN COMPUTING TECHNOLOGY IS AVAILABLE AT IU to enable a worldwide audience to witness IU's panel discussion on preventing youth violence on Aug. 17.

The entire event will be presented live over broadcast.com on the World Wide Web from 5 to 6:30 p.m. CDT. The program then will be archived for one month on the Web.

TIBETAN ART WILL BE ON DISPLAY AT TWO IU LOCATIONS open to the public, the IU Art Museum and the Mathers Museum of World Cultures.

Officials at the Mathers Museum said their tribute to the Dalai Lama includes a bride's chain, incense burner, yak bell and collar, altar frontal, chair mat, silver sugar spoon, mask worn during the Monlam Chenmo ceremony, printing block used for prayer flags, and selected Tibetan instruments. The Mathers Museum, located at 416 N. Indiana Ave., will be open Aug. 19, 20 and 23-24 from 6 to 9 p.m. and August 21-22 from 1 to 4:30 p.m.

The IU Art Museum on Seventh Street will display several Tibetan artifacts that pertain to religious events, including bronze sculptures and several tangkas. Art Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.