A student taking English literature fails an exam and stops coming to class. A freshman who split with his girlfriend seems moody and reluctant to leave his dorm room.

Like other campuses, Juniata College has had a system in place for years to spot students who may be foundering. Called "Notice of Concern," it enables classmates, faculty and others who might be troubled by an individual's behavior to send a note via the school's Web site, so campus officials can explore the matter and meet with the student.

Traditionally, such efforts are seen as a means to keep students from dropping out of school or doing themselves harm. But in light of last spring's mass shooting at Virginia Tech, should they also be viewed as a tool to detect signs that someone might be capable of violence on a grand scale?

Last week, a state panel in Virginia that investigated the murders of 32 students and professors recommended, among other things, that campuses require employees and residence hall staff to notify their schools of "aberrant, dangerous or threatening" behavior and, if it persists, that the counseling center and student's parents be alerted.

The suggestion will no doubt fuel a debate already under way about how much colleges can realistically do to spot potentially threatening behavior before it escalates.

Kris Clarkson, Juniata's dean of students, said some on his campus of 1,500 students now see that as an added benefit of the school's "Notice of Concern" program, created in 1995. But he also said "it's a crapshoot" looking for indicators that someone might do what Seung-Hui Cho did that April morning when he sprayed bullets, first in a residence hall and later a classroom building, before ending his own life.

A person who is depressed may harm himself, said Mr. Clarkson, but it does not necessarily mean he is going to commit violence against others.

"We try to avoid any kind of profiling," he said. "College campuses are generally pretty safe places. College students are generally not violent."

This fall, with memory of the Virginia Tech tragedy still fresh, schools have scrambled to reassure arriving students and parents that they have emergency plans in place. A variety of schools in the region, including the University of Pittsburgh, State System of Higher Education campuses and private schools from Duquesne to Robert Morris universities, have instituted text messaging systems to convey mass warnings in an emergency.

At Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a task force saw the need to purchase what the university has dubbed a "reverse 911" system enabling voice and text messages to be received on or off campus by those who sign up for alerts.

The school also took steps to ensure its existing network for spotting troubled students is effective and that various campus offices communicate with each other effectively while respecting student privacy laws.

But people's opinions will differ over what constitutes aberrant behavior, said David Burdette, IUP vice president of administration and finance.

"The caution here is not to overreact and have everyone reporting on everyone," he said. "What would you do with that? I think we have to be careful."

Schools over the years have developed all kinds of methods to detect potential trouble, some formal and others informal. Residence hall staff routinely receive tips as they are trained on what sorts of behaviors warrant a trip to the campus counseling center.

At Juniata, students or employees who provide tips can remain anonymous if they choose. Space is provided on an electronic form for the tipster to detail the issue of concern and any suggested courses of action.

Last year, the school received a total of 557 such alerts from students and staff, including 430 related to students' academic woes and 127 involving personal problems.

"It could be stress. It could be, in some cases, a death in the family, or the loss of a friend," Mr. Clarkson said.

Even in cases where the report suggests a classroom problem, the root cause often is elsewhere. "These are qualified students. Something else is getting in the way," he said.

The school researches each report and ascertains whether the student has had previous contact with a counselor. A faculty member, counselor or some other staff member then meets face-to-face with the student.

The idea is to intervene before things spiral downward further.

"It's hard to be successful when you are depressed or struggling with a disorder," Mr. Clarkson said.