Photo by: Associated Press
In the wake of Monday’s shooting at Virginia Tech, DU is discussing a new, streamlined method of notifying students of a developing emergency.
Yesterday, there was a greater presence of Campus Safety on campus, and, according to Don Enloe, director of Campus Safety, officers will be “stepping up our patrols and have a lot more presence around the residence halls and any academic buildings as much as we can.”
The Critical Incident Response Team at DU, which works on potential responses to serious incidents, met just hours after the worst school shooting in U.S. history to discuss how to improve communications to students, faculty and staff in case of an on-campus emergency.
“We are exploring a much more robust communication plan in the face of this,” said Provost Gregg Kvistad.
He added, “The issue is: can we get something into people’s hands when there is an emergency on campus” in order to keep everyone safe and knowledgeable?
Currently, a mass e-mail is viewed as the primary method of communication.
The response team at DU is exploring a plan that would involve the use of cell phones to alert students, faculty and staff about an emergency.
“It’s challenging, but it’s something that DU takes very seriously, and we are always looking at ways to improve that communication,” said Jim Berscheidt, assistant vice chancellor of communications and marketing.
“We do have plans in place,” said Berscheidt, but, “We are trying to improve them,” so that DU can “have the most updated methods for contacting people.”
A second method of communication used at Virginia Tech was having Residential Assistants (RAs) go around the dormitories, knocking on students’ doors.
At DU, RAs are not trained specifically to deal with school shooting issues, but according to sophomore RA Sarah Cooper, RAs “are available to talk one on one after the fact, and to help students cope. There are a lot of services that we offer.”
“We are trained to offer and refer counseling to residents. If there is a problem, residents should also take it upon themselves to seek out the necessary resources and they should feel free to contact us with absolutely any questions at all,” said Nick Sutton, an RA in Johnson-McFarlane Hall.
At Virginia Tech, one of the major issues being discussed is whether or not the school should have been closed down earlier.
At DU, the first concern would be determining “what would be the most effective and safest way to deal with the situation,” said Enloe. “One of our underlying guidelines is always going to be, is there an ongoing threat to the community? If there’s a possibility of an ongoing threat or the problem continuing, then that is considered before we would decide whether or not to close the school.”
According to Kvistad, the issue is not necessarily closing the school but providing “timely notification” to students in order to keep them safe.
The massacre yesterday comes almost exactly eight years after the Columbine shootings, and DU students are reacting.
“It’s a very real thing. It puts everything into perspective. I do think it can happen on campus. You are not as safe as you think you are,” said Jennifer Collins, a sophomore.
This was echoed by Sean McEwen, a junior, who said, “It’s a true tragedy. You never know what can happen in your own community.”
Campus Safety wants people to “be a little more perceptive to suspicious behavior that they might witness on campus and not hesitate calling us and giving us an opportunity to check things out,” said Enloe.
The university is also suggesting that members of the DU community take advantage of the health and counseling services available.
“If you were touched by today’s tragedy or are experiencing an emergency of any nature, call the center,” said the university alert from Kvistad sent via e-mail to all students, faculty and staff.
To make an appointment, call the Health and Counseling Center at 303.871.2205. A counselor-on-call is also available after normal business hours.
To reach the counselor, call Campus Safety at 303.871.3000 and ask to speak to the counselor-on-call.
