Local colleges reflect on Va. Tech shootings
By Peter Reuell/Daily News staff The MetroWest Daily News Posted Apr 16, 2008 @ 12:35 AM ASHLAND — A year after the shooting massacre that left 33 people dead at Virginia Tech, security remains a concern on local college campuses. On campuses from Framingham to Franklin, officials said, the aftershocks of the shooting - and a more recent incident at Northern Illinois University, which left five others dead - are still being felt. After the April 16, 2007, killings at Virginia Tech, many schools quickly re-evaluated their security plans, particularly their ability to communicate with faculty and staff in a crisis. At many, including Framingham State College, the solution was to install a system that allows administrators to send emergency messages by phone and computer to the entire campus at the touch of a button. "You learn from the incident, and it allows you to, perhaps, make changes in your own systems," said Framingham State spokesman Peter Chisholm. The school later this month plans to finish installing a siren that will alert students, faculty and staff to campuswide emergencies. "At every college or university campus in the country, I'm sure, the president and public safety administrators sat down and reviewed what they had in place, and what improvements they could make," Chisholm said. The incident that sparked those meetings happened a year ago today in Blacksburg, Va. Just after 7 a.m., disturbed Virginia Tech student Seung-Hui Cho killed two students in a dormitory, then went on a shooting rampage in a classroom building, eventually killing 32 people and himself. At Massachusetts Bay Community College in Wellesley, administrators are close to installing a campuswide notification system similar to Framingham State's. They have held numerous meetings to review the school's crisis policies. "There's a method or protocol for just about every situation that could arise on campus," said Lisa Cascio, the school's director of communications and public affairs. "When something like this happens, every campus across the country feels vulnerable." Along with an emergency communications system, Franklin's Dean College officials rely on an emergency alarm, which alerts everyone on campus to emergencies. "We've trained everybody to know - students, faculty and staff - if you hear that alarm, that means check your text messages," said Pat Samson, director of public relations and communications. "I think incidents like these, it's not that it raised the priority. I think it refocused attention," she added. "We want to make sure everything is up to date. "I think it sharpens the focus. (Safety) is in the top three things, so it's always on the minds of the college's administrators, and the families and the students. When these events happen, things just come more sharply into focus." (Peter Reuell can be reached at 508-626-4428 or preuell@cnc.com.) Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Generic -- Original Source: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x489723324
Security alerts prompt Faculty Senate meeting
Kendra Jones Issue date: 12/5/07 Section: News The University of Hawai'i at MÄnoa Faculty Senate Committee is scheduled to discuss campus security issues today at 3 p.m. in the Architecture Auditorium. The meeting is open to UH students. At a Faculty Senate Committee meeting on Nov. 21, the faculty senate unanimously affirmed that the campus community needs to be alerted to threats in a timelier manner while using better methods. During that meeting, a question arose from the faculty members about the obligation to notify the campus immediately and allow room for people to decide how to react for themselves. There was also concern that an Oct. 25 e-mail alert was too brief, vague and an insufficient way to notify the campus community. A mass e-mail notification was sent Oct. 25 by Campus Security to UH students and staff regarding a man who was overheard talking to himself about planning to shoot 30 UH students. It was not included in the e-mail that the suspect was known to the Honolulu Police Department and had a history of mental illness. Laura Saiki-Chaves, vice president of Associated Students of the University of Hawai'i said, "When it comes to alerting students of the possible dangers on campus, we believe that no measure is too small. Though e-mail alerts were sent to students, it was definitely not enough. There were many students who ... had absolutely no idea about the security alert." "E-mail is useful for those who may be sitting in front of their computer at the time of the incident, but by large is woefully inadequate," said Jerome Comcowich, a committee member from the School of Ocean and Earth Sciences and Technology. Comcowich said he thought a more effective way to notify the campus would be to have security vehicles use their public address system to broadcast a warning throughout the entire campus. Gregg Takayama, UH director of communications, said the response would have been more intensive had HPD considered it a serious threat. Enabling the campus-wide PA system would have resulted in major campus disruptions, Takayama added. Takayama told the committee that had the threat been immediate, the loudspeakers would have been utilized. Radio and TV stations would have been asked to broadcast an emergency message. He also said that many buildings on campus have fire alarm systems that can be enabled to make public announcements. These systems, however, have not been tested and not all of the fire alarms have been retrofitted to function as PA systems, the committee members were told. "If we as a nation learned anything about the Virginia Tech shootings (it) is that having an efficient alert system can not and must not be overlooked," Saiki-Chaves said. UH is currently looking into including mass text messaging as a means of notifying students and faculty of emergencies, Takayama said. Takayama added that Information Technology Services will be testing a mass text-messaging system at the end of this year. If the tests are successful, ITS hopes the system will be available for students to volunteer their cell phone numbers by early next year. "The idea of sending mass text messages is excellent," Saiki-Chaves said. "A person would not have to be connected to the Internet or checking their e-mail to be notified, as it would happen instantly via their cell phone." Members present at the student affairs meeting agreed that security should have broadcast the information to the campus community immediately because many people had no knowledge of the threat. Many people, including Sheri Fong, an assistant professor for anatomy, biochemistry and physiology, have said that had they known sooner, they would have opted to stay away from the campus that afternoon. "I'm disappointed with UH's general handling of the situation," said senior Caitlin Jackson, a kinesiology major. "I'm stressed out enough with classes; I shouldn't have to worry about my safety being compromised." In contrast, freshman Troy Muenzer said, "UH Campus Security did a perfect job, and I feel safe seeing that they were taking action and communicating with HPD." Several people said while they were nervous and felt vulnerable being on campus, they went to class anyway. Stacy Little, a senior speech pathology and audiology major, said, "I did know about it, and I still attended class because I guess we live in a world where we think, 'It won't happen to me.'" Some other recommendations from Faculty Senate Committee members at the last meeting to improve campus security: * Set up a campus hot line for emergency situations. * Consider creating an automated mass telephone alert system to call all campus numbers during an emergency or a threat. An automated warning would give directions, such as directing people to check their e-mail or a designated Web site. * Use the blue campus phone system as an emergency alert system. The blue lights would flash to cue people to check their e-mail or a campus hot line for further information. -- Original Source: The Voice - Ka Leo http://media.www.kaleo.org/media/storage/paper872/news/2007/12/05/News/Security.Alerts.Prompt.Faculty.Senate.Meeting-3133290.shtml
Jenkins e-mail explains University security Ken Fowler Issue date: 4/20/07 Section: News Though Notre Dame created a task force in 2006 to review crisis plans, the deaths of 33 people at Virginia Tech Monday "will spur even greater review and preparedness," University President Father John Jenkins said in an e-mail to students Thursday. Though limited in scope, Jenkins' message was the most in-depth explanation of Notre Dame's security measures since Monday's shootings. In the 700-word letter, Jenkins said Notre Dame has procedures in place to respond to natural emergencies as well as acts of violence. The University continues to search for the best ways to communicate with students in the event of a campus crisis. Jenkins noted the Office of Information Technology's pilot program to send text messages to all students who provide their cell phone numbers. University spokesman Don Wycliff said Thursday that Jenkins' letter did not go into more detail about specific response procedures as a safety precaution, so that security details of the plan would not be compromised. "There had been a sense all during the week that at some point it would be appropriate to address the issues," Wycliff said. "Today seemed appropriate." Jenkins reaffirmed the University's desire to have the service fully operational by fall and said officials would encourage students to participate in "this important and innovative communications initiative." The question of communication is only heightened by the University's decision in 2006 to de-standardize land telephone lines in dorm rooms. In an interview with The Observer at the beginning of the school year, Director of Integrated Communications Services at OIT Steven Ellis said only 60 students initially paid a $161 fee to have the dorm phones in their room. Every resident assistant, however, does have a landline, provided free. In the e-mail, Jenkins expressed confidence that Notre Dame Security/Police's (NDSP) 28 police officers and 35 additional security personnel could adequately handle major incidents on campus and work with other local emergency responders to control a crisis scene. "These men and women receive regular training to address a wide variety of emergency situations, and the department maintains a productive and close relationship with all public safety agencies in the area," Jenkins said. For emergency situations, Jenkins said, the University maintains 48 call boxes throughout campus and keeps telephones in the public areas of each residence hall. Jenkins did not detail a specific plan of action for NDSP in the event of a major campus incident and did not say what University officials have the authority to declare a lock-down on potions campus or specific buildings. "Please know that safety is of paramount importance to all of us at Notre Dame," Jenkins said. "While we believe we are ready to respond to a myriad of circumstances, the tragedy at Virginia Tech will spur even greater review and preparedness." -- Original Source: http://media.www.ndsmcobserver.com/media/storage/paper660/news/2007/04/20/News/Tragedy.Prompts.Campus.Action-2871131.shtml
Staff Editorial Issue date: 4/20/07 Section: Viewpoint There are still plenty of questions surrounding what happened Monday at Virginia Tech. But one thing that isn't up for discussion is that Notre Dame should have a plan in case the unthinkable happens here. Which is why University President Father John Jenkins' e-mail Thursday discussing emergency plans was a welcome - and much needed - announcement for students, faculty and, maybe most of all, parents. That message didn't come, however, until days after the shooting - days of wondering and worrying and wanting to know what Notre Dame would do. Earlier this week, members of the administration and Notre Dame Security/Police were unwilling to comment on the University's preparedness for such an emergency, leaving students questioning if the plan was fully developed. But now, Jenkins has reassured the community through an e-mail that, while somewhat vague, promises the University will work to further prepare for anything that may come along. It's understandable that Notre Dame would need time to work out certain details before making a plan public. Still, when information of this nature isn't being released, it's important to tell people why, instead of generating anxious speculation that no plan exists. Hopefully, Notre Dame's plan will eventually include the text-message initiative, one of the few specifics Jenkins included in his e-mail. If implemented, the procedure would go a long way to helping Notre Dame not repeat the delay in warning students that happened in Blacksburg. While other details of the plan will likely always be kept secret, it's necessary to be open about all procedures and safety measures that do not compromise security - and open in telling students when information isn't released due to security concerns. -- Original Source: http://media.www.ndsmcobserver.com/media/storage/paper660/news/2007/04/20/Viewpoint/Security.With.Transparency-2870855.shtml
ND students directly affected by shootings through ties to VT Aaron Steiner Issue date: 4/17/07 Section: News Virginia Tech is more than 500 miles from Notre Dame, but the effects of what reports call the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history have been felt here on campus. A lone gunman shot and killed more than 30 people and injured dozens more on the Blacksburg, Va., campus before committing suicide Monday, according to Associated Press reports. Officials told AP that the gunman killed two people in a dormitory approximately two hours before staging a separate attack on a classroom building. Nearly 30 people were estimated to have been injured, according to area hospital officials, CNN reported. The Notre Dame community is saddened by the tragedy, Assistant Vice President of News and Information Dennis Brown said Monday. "Our prayers go out to any people affected," Brown said. Notre Dame will hold a memorial Mass for the victims tonight at 10 at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Brown noted that members of the administration know people at Virginia Tech and said the University sends its support and prayers. Students reported hearing the news through various sources throughout the day Monday, with some hearing from friends and family directly tied to Virginia Tech. Graduate student Patrick LaFratta, a 2005 Virginia Tech alumnus who said one of his friends had died in the shootings, said he had been in contact with friends from the school throughout the day by phone and online. LaFratta said he first heard the news of the shootings from his girlfriend, a Virginia Tech alumna, around 10 a.m. LaFratta confirmed that his girlfriend's sister, a current Virginia Tech student, was safe, as well as the safety of several close friends. "When I first heard, they were reporting there was only one death," LaFratta said. "I thought, 'It's a really sad event and I want to know what is going on.'" Soon, the news coverage took a personal tone. LaFratta said he eventually heard that one acquaintance had been killed in the first incident in the dorm. By Monday night, LaFratta said he had seen pictures on television of his slain friend. He said he knew the friend from Virginia Tech's marching band, where LaFratta played trumpet. Other students with friends at the school expressed their concern Monday afternoon. Sophomore Amelia Gillespie heard the news from her roommate before going to class Monday morning. "I was in shock. I have a couple of friends that go there, and I'm still waiting to hear back from them," Gillespie said. "I tried to call them, but they haven't called back. I think they're okay, because I've heard from other friends." Freshman Tracy Jennings also has friends at Virginia Tech. "One of my friends called me around 2 p.m.," said Jennings, who is from Richmond, Va. The friend who initially called Jennings was not a student there, but the freshman received calls from Virginia Tech students shortly thereafter. "As soon as one friend called, another did, and more," Jennings said. The students couldn't give many details about the incident, she said. "All [they] said was that there was a shooting ... and at least 20 kids had been killed and at least 20 injured," she said. "As far as I've heard, everyone I know is OK." Jennings said she couldn't contact some of her friends there Monday afternoon because phone lines were busy. Monica Tarnawski, a sophomore, said she heard here from a friend who attends Virginia Tech Monday afternoon through the social networking Web site Facebook. "She actually composed a note that said 'I'm fine,' and we all saw it," Tarnawski said. Like Tarnawski, Jennings and Gillespie, LaFratta said that initially, all reports about his friends had been positive - until later Monday evening, when he first heard his friend had been killed. LaFratta was watching television news coverage of the shooting when he learned there were more deaths that initially reported. "At around 12:15 p.m. or so ... all of a sudden, one of the three [channels] reported that there were at least 20 dead," LaFratta said. "I just really hoped it was a mistake." LaFratta said he soon realized the situation was much more complex than the initial single death, and he said he then felt a "tremendous amount of sorrow." LaFratta took classes in the academic building where the majority of the deaths occurred. "A few years ago, I was there," LaFratta said. "It hits home - these things really do happen." LaFratta said it was hard to imagine a scare on Virginia Tech's campus last year while a convict was loose in the area. This tragedy, he said, is even harder to picture. "The magnitude of the event is just so overwhelming," LaFratta said. LaFratta said he would have never predicted anything like this at a campus he described as "exceptionally peaceful." Students at Notre Dame said they feel safe on campus but recognize that an event like Monday's could happen at anywhere, Notre Dame included. "Things like that, especially on television - it seems so far away ... [but] I think it could happen anywhere," said Chris Heckett, a visiting graduate student. "To think otherwise would probably be thoughtless." Erin Smith, a senior, echoed Heckett's thoughts. "It makes you realize that it could happen anywhere, on any college campus," she said. "It kind of makes you think about the security here at Notre Dame, or at any college campus." Brown declined to comment on Notre Dame's policies or crisis management plans for any type of violent tragedy like the one Monday morning. But Smith said she has never felt anxious about security at Notre Dame. "I've never felt unsafe at Notre Dame," Smith said. Senior Paul Mitchell agreed. "I still feel as safe here as anywhere," Mitchell said, stating, however, that his notions of safety do not make Notre Dame exempt from violence like Monday's tragedy. Virginia Tech, with an enrollment of more than 25,000, is located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, 160 miles west of Richmond, Va. Jennings said Virginia Tech's location as a college town - not part of a large urban area - makes her think about Notre Dame's similar setting. "Honestly, Tech ... is in the middle of nowhere - and it seems kind of like South Bend, which is a scary thought, being here. It's a pretty enclosed campus, like here," she said. Gillespie said the incident "kind of just puts things into perspective." "It makes me look outside the [Notre Dame] bubble a little bit," she said. "It's a small world." Sophomore Katie Bergerow said the tragedy caused her and her roommates to consider their safety in the residence halls. "We were talking about how we leave our door unlocked," Bergerow said. They probably wouldn't change that behavior, she said, but the tragedy "really shows that something like this could happen." Students are also lucky to have a variety of support resources available, said Gaotam Shewakramani, a Notre Dame alumnus visiting campus. He said such resources could help avert a violent crisis, especially those available to students who are struggling emotionally. "I think there are a lot of resources for those who are having difficulties," Shewakramani said. "I would be surprised if someone [who is struggling] wouldn't be reached out to." Still, Tarnawski said, it's important to remember that you can't know what people are feeling. "You never know what people are going through inside," Tarnawski said. "Someone after my English class was like, 'You know, I just wonder what was going on in that person's life that caused them to snap.'" That same thought crossed Mitchell's mind as well. "My first question was why - why would someone do that, just asking questions to the psychology of that and what enables that sort of violence," Mitchell said. Monday's massacre will go down as the deadliest campus shooting in national history. Previously, the largest was a rampage that took place in 1966 at the University of Texas at Austin, where 16 people were killed before police shot the gunman to death. As the facts of yesterday's tragedy are investigated, some students say while there is little they can do, they can send their prayers and support. "Right now, I'm here to offer any type of support I can, get involved, bring any type of awareness," Gillespie said. LaFratta said he has done "a lot of praying" and will continue to do so. "My first reaction is to pray a lot - my thoughts go out to all those families," LaFratta said. LaFratta said he plans to attend tonight's memorial Mass. -- Original Source: http://media.www.ndsmcobserver.com/media/storage/paper660/news/2007/04/17/News/Campus.Reacts.To.Virginia.Tech.Massacre-2845947.shtml http://media.www.ndsmcobserver.com/media/storage/paper660/news/2007/04/17/News/Campus.Reacts.To.Virginia.Tech.Massacre-2845947-page2.shtml http://media.www.ndsmcobserver.com/media/storage/paper660/news/2007/04/17/News/Campus.Reacts.To.Virginia.Tech.Massacre-2845947-page3.shtml http://media.www.ndsmcobserver.com/media/storage/paper660/news/2007/04/17/News/Campus.Reacts.To.Virginia.Tech.Massacre-2845947-page4.shtml
EDITORIAL - Va. shooting cause for reflection
By: STAFF EDITORIAL Posted: 4/17/07 Many news outlets are calling it "the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history." For us, yesterday's shootings at Virginia Tech were a horrible tragedy, and they're also a reminder for all of us to examine our own campuses. We join college students across the nation in extending our condolences to the families and friends of the Virginia Tech students who died yesterday. Certainly those students were in the forefront of our thoughts and in the background of our actions today. Shock will diminish and the bleak reality of this heinous event will become clearer in the days to come. It's too early to know many of the important details of the shooting, but we do know that this will have an effect on college campuses across the country for years to come. Many students watch or read the news and wonder if their own campuses would be able to handle a similar situation. We also wonder if the communication methods in place now are capable of keeping us abreast of developing situations on campus - not all of us have PDAs and BlackBerrys. Certainly, entire university communities are going to be looking for answers from their own administrators about safety measures that are in place and how they'll be augmented to better handle potential future emergency situations. In the hours after the shootings, it seems as if many are quick to blame Virginia Tech for the shootings. After a thorough investigation into Monday's events is completed, Tech might receive criticism for its handling of the shootings - it might not. But as is the case at most campus, you do the best you can - universities and colleges aren't necessarily responsible for the actions of disturbed people. They certainly can't check every single person at every single door in every single building on their sprawling campus. They have to maintain security on campus while striking a careful balance with civil liberties. Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg, in a statement to The Pitt News, said "We offer our heartfelt condolences to the friends and families of the victims and stand ready to be of assistance to members of the Virginia Tech community in any way they would find helpful." And we hope that the college community in Blacksburg will be able to find solace in the offers of condolences from people across the world and be able to recover from an event that has already affected so many, from the victims to their families and to all of us who watch the television and read the stories online and ask: Why? There has never been an act as violent in college history, and we hope that the future does not hold anything more tragic, but instead a chance to work with members of the community to make sure that we minimize the chances of this ever happening again. -- Original Source:The Pitt News - April 17, 2007
By: JARED TRENT STONESIFER Assistant News Editor Posted: 4/20/07 Pittsburgh Police responded to a report of a bomb in a Carnegie Mellon University parking lot yesterday and later deemed the area safe. Forbes Avenue was closed for more than an hour yesterday afternoon after someone called 911 and allegedly saw a person putting a bomb in a white car. Police later spotted the reported car and pulled it over in a parking lot on Carnegie Mellon's campus. After inspection the device was rendered safe, according to Pittsburgh Police Zone 4 spokesman Matthew White. "Someone called in what they thought may have been a bomb," White said. "The car was inspected at CMU, which does a lot of work with the Defense Department, so it was a call we had to take seriously." Forbes Avenue reopened around 2:30 p.m. yesterday after the Allegheny County bomb squad found a cylinder in the back of the car and deemed it not to be dangerous. The driver was detained for questioning and an investigation is pending. White admitted that the recent incident at Virginia Tech has people more anxious and that more precautions than usual are now needed. "Virginia Tech has everyone on edge," he said. "This week is also the anniversary of the Columbine shootings and the bombing at Oklahoma City." -- Original Source:The Pitt News - April 20, 2007
University enacts many campus security measures
By: ELI DILE Staff Writer Posted: 5/22/07 The Virginia Tech massacre in late April was a shocking reminder of the importance of campus safety. Pitt, which spends more than $9 million annually on security measures, has many organizations and programs that promote safety on campus. First and foremost, the Pitt police department safeguards the lives of students every day and represents the third largest police force in Allegheny County. In addition to officers on foot, bicycle or motorcycle, the department includes 74 commissioned police officers and has a minimum of four cars patrolling Oakland's streets during each shift. There are four Pitt police stations on campus. They are located at Sutherland Hall, Sennott Square and two locations on Forbes Avenue, one between the Barco Law Building and David Lawrence Hall. The other is the new Public Safety Building located at 3412 Forbes Ave. Students can report crimes by calling the Pitt police at (412) 624-2121 or by dialing 4-2121 on a campus phone, going to one of the stations or by using the anonymous tips portion of the Pitt police's website at www.pitt.edu/~police. More than 500 emergency phones, which students can use to contact Pitt police in case of an emergency, are located across campus. Exterior and garage phones are easily identifiable by their blue lights. In addition, nearly 300 surveillance cameras are spread throughout the campus and are monitored 24 hours a day. The University also maintains many other safety measures beside the University police. In the event of a campus-wide emergency, the communications center at the Public Safety Building is equipped to lock down 80 percent of Pitt's buildings. Also, the University can send emergency e-mails to students, faculty and staff and make emergency announcements over the public address systems in campus buildings. Pitt's Office of Sexual Assault Services provides counseling and medical services for anyone who has been sexually harassed or abused. Students can reach OSAS at (412) 648-7930. Each term the University offers a one-credit personal-defense course, which teaches students to defend themselves and escape from an attacker. Security guards control access to all residence halls. Students must present their student IDs, which are then swiped through an electronic system by the guards, to gain access to their residence halls. Guests wishing to enter a residence hall must first have a student who lives there sign them in. Guests must also be signed out or the resident may face a fine. Each residence hall has a resident assistant on every floor. Their duties include supervising fire evacuations, resolving roommate disputes, and handling vandalism, disorderly conduct, medical and psychological emergencies. RAs are on duty every evening, including weekends and holidays. Each residence hall has a resident director to supervise the RAs. In all residence halls, dorm-room doors can only be opened with either a key or the occupant's student ID followed by a four-digit code. The University also urges students to practice common sense when traversing the campus. Students should stay in well-lit and highly-traveled areas. When running or walking, students should travel with someone and carry a whistle. Students should also familiarize themselves with emergency phone locations. -- Original Source:The Pitt News - May 22, 2007
By: Alaina Busch Posted: 4/30/07 Representatives from Ohio's colleges and universities will meet today as part of a statewide effort to address campus security issues and concerns. Today's meeting is the first for the Campus Security Task Force, formed at the request of Gov. Ted Strickland after the Virginia Tech shootings. "The effort is to ensure the communication and response efforts are better than adequate,"said Strickland spokesman Keith Dailey. The Ohio Board of Regents organized the discussion-based group composed of more than 70 representatives from Ohio's public and private colleges and universities. The representatives will meet by videoconference at eight sites throughout the state, including the Ohio Supercomputer Center in Columbus. The Board of Regents is a nine-member panel that coordinates higher education policy in Ohio and makes recommendations to the governor and General Assembly. Chancellor of Higher Education Eric Fingerhut said each university's president and board of trustees are legally responsible for their campus safety. He said the task force will first identify the best practices available and then decide what the state can do to be more helpful. "There is value in sharing plans," Fingerhut said. The task force will compare safety practices and recommend future actions to the governor based on their findings. Depending on how the group's ideas evolve, the outcome could include a statewide coordination of safety practices or a legislation proposal, said Fingerhut. Rick Amweg, assistant chief of University Police, and Todd Stewart, director of OSU's program for International and Homeland Security, represent OSU along with students Sean McKinniss and Jamie Levine. "Students are on the front line in the efforts to prevent," Fingerhut said. "Students bring a very important perspective to this." Levine, a first-year MBA student, said it is important to compare resources and share ideas. "The causes are bigger than one university," she said, citing gun control policies and mental health issues as areas of consideration. Levine worked in downtown Washington D.C. during the Sept. 11 attacks as an undergraduate student at American University. She said she experienced first-hand campus safety issues when her campus was evacuated because of bomb threats. "In reality, there's no way to prevent this," she said. "You can do things to mitigate them, but you can't live in fear." Alaina Busch can be reached at busch.61@osu.edu. -- Original Source:The Lantern - April 30, 2007
MUPD, OPD evaluate emergency response plans
By: Caroline Briggs Posted: 4/20/07 In the wake of the shooting at Virginia Polytechnic Institute Monday, Miami University's police and administration, along with Oxford Police, are checking Oxford's own ability to respond to such an emergency. Miami President David Hodge sent an e-mail to Miami students, staff and faculty Tuesday stating that Miami's police force is highly trained and able to deal with a live shooter situation. Hodge's e-mail also outlined specific guidelines for students in a lockdown situation. According to Miami University Police Department (MUPD) Chief John McCandless, changes have not been made to the current lockdown policy; however, he and his fellow officers have been preparing for such a situation on Miami's campus for quite some time. "We've been training for an active shooter for a couple of years," McCandless said. "We can tweak the police based on what worked and what didn't (for Virginia Tech police). There is a lot of misinformation streaming to the media for the first 24 to 48 hours in a situation like that. We will learn from the more solid information that the media reports in the following four or five days." Though MUPD only has 29 full-time police officers, McCandless said he is not concerned about quantitative manpower in an emergency. He said the Oxford Police Department (OPD) has 25 full-time officers and the Oxford Township Police has 10 full and part-time officers. McCandless said these departments would fully support Miami police if necessary. "We have a wonderful professional relationship with the local police agencies," McCandless said. "(This will) add up to be a substantial police contingency in the case of an emergency." According to both McCandless and OPD's Chief Steve Schwein, the first force to respond to the most critical police situation; similar to the one in Blacksburg, Va.; would be Oxford's Special Response Team (SRT) Team, comprised of seven OPD officers, one Oxford Township officers and five MUPD officers. In addition, both chiefs said further action would be determined during the events. The squad holds monthly training sessions to prepare for hypothetical situations that need a police presence. McCandless said the SRT Team held a mock live shooter exercise in the summer of 2006 in Reid Hall on Miami's campus. The squad also traveled to New Mexico for further training funded by the Department of Homeland Security in December 2006, according to McCandless. "Any time you can plan a tactical situation in advance, the results are almost always positive," Schwein said. "The key is being properly prepared by planning and rehearsing the situation." Miami University Police Department Lt. Andrew Powers said he has referred students to the police Web site, which outlines procedure in the event of an emergency. It states that if the shooter is outside or in the same building, students should find a safe, lockable room and barricade themselves inside and situate themselves on the ground, away from the door. Subjects hiding from the active shooter should not respond or move from their safe space until verifiable police arrive. Whether or not the shooter is in the room, the policy urges one person in the situation to call 911, so police may be dispatched to the area and properly deal with the situation. McCandless also reiterated the point of calling 911. He said that though the phone may ring several times if there are a lot of calls to the station at once, the dispatch phone lines can handle it and extra officers will be standing by, if necessary, to answer emergency calls. The Office of News and Public Information at Miami has set up a hotline to inform students of a campus-wide emergency. It was originally put in place this spring to centralize school information in regards to weather, according to Carole Johnson, the office's internal communications spokeswoman. According to the Office of News and Public Information, that number is (513) 529-9000. After the snowstorms and necessary cancellations that followed, Johnson said the school thought it necessary to have an outlet for information besides e-mail and Miami's Web site. Besides the hotline, she said Miami's administration is constantly looking for possible improvements so the school can better handle an emergency situation. "We constantly look at our crisis plan, almost on a daily basis," Johnson said. "Looking at it, updating it, and continuous training are critical in continuing a solid crisis plan, year round." Johnson also said because technology is always changing, new ways to contact students in the event of an emergency could potentially develop. Miami University's branch campuses at Hamilton and Middletown do not have their own police force like the Oxford campus, but are instead protected by the city departments of Hamilton and Middletown. According to Officer John Crawford of the Hamilton Police Department, policy has not changed since Monday for the department, nor does he think that it appears they will. "Most police agencies across the country changed policy (regarding schools and active shooter situations) after the Columbine shooting in 1999," Crawford said. "Rapid deployment where officers have their equipment in their vehicle along with SWAT team presence are key in any situation like that." -- Original Source:The Miami Student - April 27, 2007
"Skotzko, Stacey Nicole" <skotzksn@muohio.edu>
School security proposal shoves aside prevention
By:Anonymous Posted: 4/27/07 Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones urged April 19 that the Ohio state legislature and Governor Ted Strickland consider drafting a new law that would require armed guards in all of Ohio's schools, colleges and universities. In the wake of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute shootings, during which a crazed student killed 32 students and faculty, debate within the Ohio General Assembly has focused heavily on how future tragedies of this sort can be prevented. Nonetheless, the extraordinary cost of this program and its doubtful effectiveness makes it a proposal that the legislature should overlook in favor of more proactive approaches that would act to prevent another school shooting. The high cost of putting an armed guard in every Ohio school raises some serious questions regarding the state's ability to fund this program. Such a program appears to be a colossal waste of expenditures, especially given the fact that the state's budget is already in the red. Given the rarity of such attacks, it is neither prudent nor feasible to devote such a large amount of state resources to a program such as this and more cost effective measures can be implemented instead. Additionally, the presence of an armed guard is unlikely to dissuade a deranged and suicidal student from carrying out a planned attack. It is naive to think that a security guard is a deterrent strategy, or that he or she would be able to intervene in time to stop a determined shooter. Furthermore, Jones' suggestion that teachers and faculty members could be trained and equipped with firearms is a frightening proposition. The answer to school violence does not rest in turning Ohio's public schools into armed camps, thus creating a culture of anxiety. Placing armed contingents within Ohio's schools sends the wrong message that guns are the way to prevent violence. Indeed, Virginia Tech has one of the best campus police forces in the country. Rather, focus must be shifted toward a proactive preventive strategy that involves more funding for school counselors and an increased effort on behalf of teachers to spot troubled students and refer them to professional help. While schools should be allowed to place armed guards on their campuses and in their halls on a district by district basis, this decision should remain a local matter. Ultimately, Sheriff Jones' proposal is a reactionary measure that will do little except further Ohio's financial crisis and create an unnecessary police presence in elementary, high school and university buildings. -- Original Source: The Miami Student - April 27, 2007
LETTER: Massacre is 'senseless loss'
By: Clarissa Nemeth Posted: 4/18/07 To me, a college campus is one of the best places to be on earth. A university represents a lot of great things: youth and promise, for starters. A sense of community. A devotion to a life of the mind. Personal improvement. Ambition, dedication, discipline. All kinds of respect -- respect from students who want to learn, respect from professors who are honored to be able to share their knowledge, respect of colleagues and self-respect for a job well done. And above all, a love of knowledge, learning and teaching, with the idea that these things can improve the quality of life for everyone in the world. This is why what happened at Virginia Tech horrifies me so much. Any senseless loss of life, especially in such high numbers, is numbing and saddening. But the idea that this took place on a college campus -- especially with the shooter being a student -- is particularly difficult for me to wrap my mind around. Such a thing is in direct reproach to all the wonderful things that a university, one of the civilized world's oldest and most respected institutions, stands for. This was the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, and it happened in a community devoted to higher learning. How does a university community -- teachers, students and staff alike -- begin to recover from such a horrific turn of events, especially because the betrayal came from within? There is already much criticism of the way the university handled itself during the crucial hours. But how much better could it have done it? How prepared could it have been for something like this? I'm certain that, had it happened here, Boston University would have not have fared much better. University administrators do think about student safety, but they are generally not thinking about their own students going on shooting rampages. And what a horrible precedent this has set. Clearly, now they will have to start thinking about it. I have a friend at Virginia Tech, and thankfully, she and her friends are safe. But I grieve for her, nonetheless, because of what her community will be going through in the days and months to come, particularly when the media coverage subsides and they are left to pick up the pieces on their own. Somebody on CNN said yesterday that because of these circumstances no matter what college we are affiliated with, "Today, we are all Hokies." My heart goes out to the friends and families of those who died, but my prayers belong to everyone affiliated with Virginia Tech. I believe that every university in the country should have its flag at half-mast tomorrow. This tragedy did not just happen to Virginia Tech. It happened to all of us, in this larger community devoted to everything that colleges and universities stand for. Clarissa Nemeth CFA '08 -- Original Source:The Daily Free Press - April 18, 2007
University reps. meet with BPD to discuss prevention By: Andrew FitzGerald Posted: 4/18/07 The day after a Virginia Tech senior shot and killed 32 people on campus and himself, representatives from 19 Boston-area colleges who met at Boston Police Department headquarters said they must improve communication in the future to prevent similar campus attacks. University administrators joined state and local police forces to discuss "protocol, procedure and planning" that goes into preventing campus attacks during a meeting requested by Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis, said BPD spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll. Representatives at the meeting said they wanted to ensure the BPD and campus security forces are able to communicate through radio, according to Driscoll, who cited the existing Boston Area Emergency Radio Network -- a link between local campus and police departments -- that received boosted support after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Virginia Tech and college campuses around the country have reacted to Monday's shootings, in which 32 people were killed by Virginia Tech senior Cho Seung-Hui. The 23-year-old English major from South Korea killed two people in a residence hall shortly after 7 a.m., and he killed 30 in a classroom building two hours later a half-mile across campus. Local university administrators also compared methods they use to communicate with students in pressing situations, Driscoll said. Virginia Tech officials have received widespread criticism for not immediately contacting university members after the first shooting. Officials first sent an email to the university about the residence hall shooting at 9:26 a.m., while the gunman was carrying out his second attack. Driscoll said another topic discussed was the importance of "recognizing the tendency of someone who may act in violence." Classmates and professors have described the shooter as someone who was not very sociable, and some professors had referred him for counseling, according to The New York Times. Representatives at yesterday's meeting will form subcommittees to develop campus-specific security plans, which will vary based on school size and relative security, Driscoll said. "The distinction would be that some universities have patrol forces and some do not," she said. "If the security force is unarmed, then what are the steps they should take in an unarmed situation? If the force is armed, then the response should be different." Attending university administrators said they could not provide details on the tools security personnel use to protect their campuses because the information could aid potential attackers. Boston University Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore, who attended the meeting, declined to elaborate on specifics, only repeating Driscoll's summary that they discussed "protocols, training amongst different agencies [and] how students can access information." Harvard University spokesman Joe Wrinn said universities and law enforcement agencies meet regularly to share information. For example, university representatives and police held a similar meeting in October 2004 to plan for potential riots after World Series games, prompted by the accidental shooting death of an Emerson College student celebrating in the streets after the Boston Red Sox won the American League Championship Series. "We occasionally get together with other campuses and campus police," Wrinn said. "We run tabletop exercises and drills." Driscoll said the police forces and university representatives will meet again to further develop prevention techniques, but she did not provide a date. -- Original Source: The Daily Free Press - April 18, 2007
By: Sara Dover Posted: 4/17/07 NYU officials heightened security on campus in wake of yesterday's mass shooting at Virginia Polytechnic Institute that left 33 people dead. The lone gunman also wounded 29 others before shooting and killing himself at the school in Blacksburg, Va., making it the deadliest mass shooting in American history, CNN reported. The shooting began when two people were killed at a dormitory around 7:15 a.m. yesterday, and 30 more were killed about two hours later at Norris Hall, the university's engineering science and mechanics building. University spokesman John Beckman said that the shooting is a horrible tragedy for the nation as well as higher education. "I think that everyone on this campus is grief stricken over what happened at Virginia Tech," Beckman said. "It is a tragic and sorrowful day for higher education to think of so many lives lost in what appears to be an appalling and utterly senseless act." Beckman said that, though it is difficult to draw lessons from the tragedy because so much is still unknown, Public Safety is heightening security on campus "over the next day or so to provide a sense of reassurance for the community and to let them know that we have their safety on the forefront of our minds." In addition to being on high alert, patrol officers will double and triple up while on duty for the next day or so, Public Safety officials said. Beckman also urged students to remember the availability of the Wellness Exchange for those who are affected by the tragedy and need someone to talk to. Many NYU students said they knew others at Virginia Tech who they were concerned about. "I'm really worried about a lot of people I know [that] go there," said GSP freshman Kathy Chau. "It's surprising, Blacksburg is in the middle of nowhere. Everyone was scared about coming to New York City and this is the middle of nowhere." GSP freshman Anthony Cox, who is originally from Galax, Va., two hours away from Blacksburg, said he was relieved to find out that his friends at Virginia Tech were unharmed. "As far as I know, I haven't known anyone that's been injured," he said. "When I talked to them [my friends] earlier, we were worried because two of the girls I graduated with, they live in the dorm next to where it started. I know that their parents went and got them." Although Virginia Tech plans to resume classes this Wednesday, students from the area are still recuperating. Ben Zachary, a sophomore who attends Radford University and lives in Blacksburg with two roommates from Virginia Tech, said that when he found out about the shooting, he immediately went home, locked the doors and called his roommates. "I was worried about one of them because they had an earlier class," he said. One of the most difficult parts for Zachary was not knowing exactly what was happening. "What's really hard for us right now is that they're not releasing names of who was affected," he said. "All our direct friends are OK, but we don't know about friends of friends." Yesterday's shooting was the second to take place at Virginia Tech this school year. On the opening day of classes last August, an escaped jail inmate killed a sheriff deputy just off campus after he had allegedly killed a hospital guard off campus, the New York Daily News reported. In addition to heightened security, Public Safety will also be putting out a community alert tomorrow about a Columbia student who was raped and tortured in her Hamilton Heights apartment, said crime prevention manager Jay Zwicker. The individual is said to still be at large. -- Original Source: Washington Square News - April 17, 2007
By: WSN Staff Posted: 4/17/07 The shooting yesterday at Virginia Tech was shocking, particularly because of its enormous death toll - 33 students were killed in the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history. Our condolences go out to Virginia Tech and the friends and families of the victims. While it was an isolated incident that took place far away from NYU, Public Safety is nonetheless beefing up security in response, doubling and tripling up on patrols, with all officers advised to be on "high alert." This in turn prompts us to ask, "How would NYU respond to a similar event?" From the few details that have emerged from Virginia Tech, it appears that the assailant shot and killed two people in a dormitory before moving on to another part of campus, where two hours later he killed 30 others, then himself. It's important to note that the gunman was not a student. So, from that larger question comes two others: Would a shooter still be on the loose two hours later? And would current security policies limit the ability of a nonstudent to commit such a crime? Clearly, having students flash their IDs poses no deterrent for a rampaging gunman - but there's little that can be done about that. Public safety officers at NYU are equipped with a red button on their walkie-talkies that sends an emergency signal to the central station - should central station determine that an emergency is taking place, the New York Police Department would be notified. Direct intervention by campus security officers is frowned upon, and for good reason - without the proper equipment, they too could easily become victims. But the inherent lag time in this emergency system is somewhat disconcerting, given that the packed halls of the Silver Center could produce dozens of victims in just a few moments. That said, given the nature of our Washington Square "campus," it's unlikely a gunman would be able to continue on his way two hours later. Though this sort of event is seemingly random, we'd like to think that they're at least somewhat preventable, which is why we appreciate that the Wellness Exchange is making itself more visible in response. While it's not a perfect solution - especially when the perpetrator's not a student and unable to take advantage - offering these services to the students who need them is a good step toward making students happier and safer. -- Original Source:Washington Square News - April 17, 2007
Text messages can notify police By: Katy Doll, Staff Writer Posted: 4/20/07 UNC officials are implementing a phone system that alerts campus police when students are in danger. Beginning this fall, the University will offer the Rave Guardian program, which uses a Global Positioning System timer to notify police of students' locations when needed. "You can set a timer on your phone that says: 'If I don't reset this timer, I want you to send a signal to campus police,'" said Larry Hicks, director of the Department of Housing and Residential Education. When the time expires, the phone alerts the student, and if it's not turned off, Rave contacts campus police, who can locate the phone using GPS technology. In the wake of the Virginia Tech shooting, campus security is on everyone's mind, but UNC officials were planning to implement Rave Guardian before Monday's shootings. UNC officials are in negotiations with different providers and do not know the exact costs associated with purchasing the program. Hicks said the housing department plans to offer a reduced price on GPS phones to all on-campus students next year. There will be a push for incoming freshmen to buy the phones, which will be promoted at C-TOPS. The program is part of the Rave Wireless system, an existing service that allows students to receive text messages about Blackboard updates and bus routes. The service also has an emergency broadcasting system. "We could basically send out a broadcast message to all the users of the Rave system," said Brian Payst, director of technology and systems support for the division of student affairs. Students whose phones aren't equipped for the GPS program can use Rave's other features, such as emergency text messaging. Students can sign up at www.unc.edu/rave. Rave was established as a pilot program at UNC last summer with a group of about 20 students and now has 364 students, Payst said. The emergency system never has been used, but officials said they have completed tests of the system. "We've done tests, and they've gone just fine," Payst said. "You log in and have a Web page, type in your message and hit send. It just takes minutes - seconds even." Officials also said a campuswide siren system is on its way. "It certainly wasn't intended to deal with what happened at Virginia Tech, but it can deal with that as well," said James Alty, director of facilities services. Hicks said safety issues have been at the forefront of UNC's concerns. "It's basically taking a little bit more emphasis as a result of Virginia Tech," he said. "People want to expedite the plans." -- Original Source:The Daily Tar Heel - April 20, 2007
Will examine campus security By: David Reynolds, Staff Writer Posted: 4/20/07 In the aftermath of the Virginia Tech tragedy, school systems across the country are discussing new security measures to ensure that such a harrowing event never could be duplicated. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine announced Thursday that an independent review panel has been formed to analyze the circumstances surrounding Monday's shooting. Retired Virginia State police Superintendent Col. Gerald Massengill will be the head of the panel, which also will include Tom Ridge, the former U.S. secretary of homeland security. N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper also has called for a special task force in conjunction with the State Bureau of Investigation, the UNC system, the N.C. Community College System and the N.C. Independent Colleges and Universities to look for improvements in campus emergency plans. "We'll be looking at issues such as guidelines for when to declare a campus lockdown, how to better communicate with students and faculty in a crisis and more ways to identify a potential shooter, along with many others," he said in a Wednesday press conference. Hope Williams, president of N.C. Independent Colleges and Universities, said school administrators will choose a task force during the next 10 days. She said this task force will release a report within six months containing suggestions for the 2007 fall semester. The task force will not mandate changes, Williams said, because a one-size plan cannot fit different universities' needs. "I think the major question is one of modifying and adjusting existing emergency response plans as institutions feel it is necessary." Jeff Davies, the chief of staff for UNC-system President Erskine Bowles, said discussions already had begun concerning improvements in security before the Va. Tech incident, but the event has added impetus to the debate. "The decisions have been made to ensure that all residence halls will have card access, alarms and cameras," he said. "We are trying to wrap our arms around a very big issue in a very short amount of time." Davies said the UNC system likely will ask for state funding for the changes. And like many other schools nationwide, UNC-Chapel Hill has looked critically at its security measures. UNC-CH officials said their campus police have completed annual active shooter training and will work with local law enforcement in the case of an emergency. UNC-CH has the ability to contact students through radio broadcast, housing fliers and campuswide informational e-mails. E-mails sent to the University community take roughly two hours to reach all intended recipients. -- Original Source: The Daily Tar Heel - April 20, 2007
By: Elyse McCoy, Staff Writer Posted: 7/5/07 The University is in the initial stages of development for the Public Information Emergency Response Communication Management System, or PIER, an Internet-based communication tool used to help relay emergency-related content and messages. Students, faculty and staff will be alerted in the event of a crime, unexpected weather emergency or other event that requires immediate warning through a secure Web page that will look like a regular UNC-Chapel Hill Web page. Using the PIER system, campus security officials can post key emergency materials; templates of information prepared in advance about certain scenarios; detailed information about how to reach the University's key constituents, including students, faculty and staff; and background information about the campus, maps and emergency policies and procedures. PIER also provides the capability to track and respond to questions from key stakeholders or the general public. Following the Virginia Tech shootings, the University has strengthened its already extensive plans and procedures, but plans for developing a contract with the PIER vendor for the 16-campus UNC system have been in existence since the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. UNC-Wilmington and UNC-Charlotte have been the most involved campuses to date, with Wilmington being designated the first campus to begin its PIER-related work and training several months ago. The PIER system's clients include the U.S. Coast Guard - which used the system during Hurricane Katrina, the University of Houston, and several major corporations. UNC-Chapel Hill has just recently begun training a small group of key people most likely to be involved with using PIER as a communication tool in an emergency situation, including those involved in University relations, public safety and information technology departments. "We have started working on training issues as the spring semester was winding down and will continue over the summer," said Mike McFarland, the director of University communications. "We believe PIER can help complement resources the University already uses and are developing, such as a siren system and the Rave system to communicate quickly, accurately and effectively with students, faculty, staff and other University-related audiences or the general public," McFarland said. Unlike the PIER system, which is primarily focused around managing information in an emergency, the Rave system is part of a broader effort to extend the campus to mobile phones. "Rave has much more day-to-day impact on the lives of our students," said Brian Payst, the director of Technology & Systems Support. "We certainly can, and will if needed, use Rave to send emergency broadcast messages, but it does much, much more than that for us." The Rave system is used to provide bus arrival times for all the Chapel Hill Transit routes and stops, the ability to read UNC e-mail, information from slice.unc.edu about student events, Blackboard alerts, Rave Guardian (an enhanced personal safety service), group messaging, polls and more on students' mobile phones. The University's partnership with Rave Wireless also enables the University to offer a steeply discounted cell phone program to students living in residence halls on campus in order to allow access to these services at the lowest possible cost. The campus Emergency Notification committee has been coordinating efforts to integrate the PIER and Rave systems as much as possible to reduce duplication where it exists. "We plan to integrate the information coming from PIER into a spot in the UNC mobile phone interface so you can easily check for closings or other important announcements coming from PIER," Payst said. Payst does not think that the implementation of both the PIER system and the Rave system will be confusing to either students or their parents. "They do different things, so we do not think it will be all that confusing, and we will work hard to clearly communicate the distinctions where they arise." -- Original Source: The Daily Tar Heel - July 05, 2007
Letters to the Editor - Shootings shed light on Taser incident
Monday's tragic shooting at Virginia Tech is the kind of event that provokes a nationwide outpouring of support, sympathy and questions - questions about the killer, his motives and what could have been done to prevent 33 students from needlessly dying. Campus security, in particular, has received a lot of scrutiny. Why were classes allowed to continue after shots were fired and students were killed early in the morning? The problem with such questions is that it is easy to ask them accusatorily in the wake of so many deaths. When nobody dies - when security clamps down on threatening behavior before it reaches such a drastic extreme - the questions asked are very different. In November, here at UCLA, there was another incident that received nationwide coverage - the use of a Taser gun on a student. Hundreds of people are in the campus library late at night, paying little attention to their surroundings. Per school policy, campus security officers perform student ID checks. One man refused to show his ID. Now stop and think: Is this man an unarmed student or an unstable psychotic with a cache of weapons in his backpack? At this point, you don't know and neither do the police. The police only know that he is uncooperative and cannot prove that he has a right to be in the library. So they use their Taser guns. If the police had found weapons in the student's backpack, they would have been hailed as heroes. Instead, they were vilified. We know the odds are against the student being a homicidal maniac, even if he is uncooperative with police. But should the police have taken a chance against an uncooperative individual? When a campus is open, like UCLA's, anyone can walk onto school grounds armed to the teeth. The beeper may go off when you try to carry a book out of the building, but not if you walk in with a pair of handguns. The aphorism "better safe than sorry" exists for a reason. Alex Fineman UCLA law student -- Original Source: The Daily Bruin - April 23, 2007
Letters to the Editor: Self-defense could stop violence
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 The tragic event that took place at Virginia Tech on Monday raises many questions in students' minds: How safe are we? What measures are in place to keep us safe from harm while we're in class, in our dorms, or walking across campus? Heaven forbid that a shooting should occur on our campus, but if it did, what would you do? What could you do? The truth is ... not much. Current law, as well as UC policy, prohibits you from providing yourself with a means of self-defense. UCLA's weapons policy prohibits common defensive items. Like Virginia Tech, UCLA doesn't allow firearms on campus even for law-abiding individuals trained and licensed to carry a concealed weapon. Even if UCLA did, California state law forbids it. As UC students, we're forced to remain unarmed and defenseless. Because of this, we can only hope that suspension or expulsion will serve as a sufficient deterrent for those that mean to harm us. Forgive me if I'm less than confident. While you could always call the police if such a situation were to occur, their response times are measured in minutes. However, in life-threatening situations like the shooting at Virginia Tech, survival is measured in seconds. A single armed student or faculty member could have quickly ended - if not prevented - any and all school shootings. It's time for change. It's time to rethink the "feel-good" legislation that is leaving thousands of innocent people defenseless. It's time to let our state and national representatives know that we want to be safe. It's time that we let university students and public school teachers protect themselves and those in their care. I urge you to call, write a letter or send an e-mail to your representatives to ask them to make public schools and college campuses places where law-abiding citizens can defend themselves. Craig Chi UCLA graduate student, Electrical Engineering -- Original Source: The Daily Bruin - April 18, 2007