2008 Woodie Awards
Campus security questioned after VA Tech Massacre
Amanda Jordan (News Editor)
Issue date: 4/23/07 Section: News
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After the horrific massacre on Virginia Tech's campus on Monday, April 16, questions and concerns have become inevitable on college campuses across the country. Not only for students who play the 'what-if' game, relating themselves to the fear those students felt, but it is truly "a university administrator's nightmare," said Stephen Joel Trachtenberg in an editorial which appeared in the Washington Post on April 19.
West Chester University administration and faculty have already begun to analyze the current crisis procedures, along with making changes to handle potentially dangerous situations and attempt to answer the ever pressing questions for themselves that haunt Virginia Tech's administration now. One of the most pressing questions was "Why did it take so long for an alert to go out to all students about the 7:15 a.m. campus murders?"
WCU has several current and potential plans to get an emergency message out to students.
"We could get [the message] out on a very timely manner," said Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety, Michael D. Bicking. In the winter months, students are very familiar with checking the University's homepage for emergency weather alerts, like snow days, but the administration suggests that students keep a habit of checking it, along with their school email accounts.
"We have a combination of procedures to alert students," said Pam Sheridan, director of public relations and marketing. "We have an email system in place, our homepage has mobile P.D.A's (personal digital assistants) where students can type in a cell phone number and thus will bring up any information that the university puts out."
Since a large percentage of WCU students are commuters, including off-campus students, they are looking into different ways of contacting students. Along with many other schools, WCU is considering text message alerts, along with identifying whether WCU has the capability for a loud speaker system.
West Chester University administration and faculty have already begun to analyze the current crisis procedures, along with making changes to handle potentially dangerous situations and attempt to answer the ever pressing questions for themselves that haunt Virginia Tech's administration now. One of the most pressing questions was "Why did it take so long for an alert to go out to all students about the 7:15 a.m. campus murders?"
WCU has several current and potential plans to get an emergency message out to students.
"We could get [the message] out on a very timely manner," said Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety, Michael D. Bicking. In the winter months, students are very familiar with checking the University's homepage for emergency weather alerts, like snow days, but the administration suggests that students keep a habit of checking it, along with their school email accounts.
"We have a combination of procedures to alert students," said Pam Sheridan, director of public relations and marketing. "We have an email system in place, our homepage has mobile P.D.A's (personal digital assistants) where students can type in a cell phone number and thus will bring up any information that the university puts out."
Since a large percentage of WCU students are commuters, including off-campus students, they are looking into different ways of contacting students. Along with many other schools, WCU is considering text message alerts, along with identifying whether WCU has the capability for a loud speaker system.
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