Colleges on edge after Virginia Tech shootings

The shooting rampage at Virginia Tech has the whole country talking and all the colleges on edge. The incident has prompted North Lake College to take steps to assure campus safety, address the emotional toll, and show solidarity with the victims.

The deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history claimed the lives of 33 people and injured many others. The massacre by a deranged student, Seung-Hui Cho, occurred at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Va., as two separate attacks about two hours apart on April 16.

“Events such as this cause us all to turn to our own situation and to think about what we would do, how we would respond, and what plans we currently have in place to deal with situations like this,” Dr. Herlinda Glasscock, North Lake president, said.

Even before the enormity of the incident began to sink in, the North Lake Police Department responded quickly to affirm its preparedness in handling this type of events.

Chris Drake, chief of North Lake police, said many of his officers have attended Active Shooter Response courses to handle shooting incidents. All officers have attended state-mandated Crisis Intervention Training that deals with emotionally disturbed individuals. The police have access to the District Risk Management plan that applies to incidents of this nature in the Dallas County Community College District (DCCCD).

“We have an excellent Emergency Response Team (ERT), consisting of faculty and staff members who are trained to assist the police department with building evacuation or shelter and management of hazards such as tornado and fire alarm response,” Drake said.

According to Drake, initial police response to campus alerts and hazards may include public address announcements, e-mail alerts, Web site notice, and barred entrance to the campus. He is currently investigating the possible use of text messaging for campus-related alerts. However, he admitted there are more avenues to explore.

“The North Lake police department, in collaboration with the faculty association, is in the process of initiating a forum to conduct ongoing discussions of issues surrounding and addressing campus life safety concerns,” Drake said.

Beyond the campus safety issue, the college immediately recognized that some students might be emotionally affected by the horror and grief.

Carole Gray, dean of student services, said two full-time and four part-time counselors were on hand to discuss feelings and sentiments triggered by the incident. The counseling staff has spoken to approximately 100 students about the incident.

“We are on our toes, and the counselors we have are highly trained,” Gray said. “We are aware that some students are unstable. This is the time when they may have problems. That’s the way to help them process and have closures.”

In addition, Gray coordinated efforts with the police to set a new policy, and conducted debriefings with the International Office to discuss the potential backlash and stereotyping against international students. The Virginia Tech shooter, Cho, was a resident alien of Korean ancestry.

Gray said in the past, the counselors helped recognize early warning signs of troubled students, like Cho, who reportedly had a serious mental problem, and they worked with the administration. It is a delicate balancing act between the issue of student privacy and the need for campus security.

“The safety of everybody has to be paramount but students’ rights are not to be violated either,” said Mary Ciminelli, North Lake vice president of student services and enrollment management. “Whenever it is brought to our attention that some students can possibly endanger others, we will remove them and take a legal step.”

But the Virginia Tech incident also heightens the need for compassion and solidarity that unites college students across the nation.

In the wake of the tragedy, Student Programs and Resources (SPAR) spearheaded a week-long effort to have students express their feelings on banners for their counterparts at Virginia Tech. Furthermore, SPAR distributed and encouraged students to wear ribbons of orange and maroon, the colors of Virginia Tech, as a sign of solidarity.

“The response has been good,” said Virginia Jones, director of SPAR. “It’s a small way to honor the memory of faculty and students who lost their lives at Virginia Tech.”

While colleges across the nation have taken measures to respond to this tragedy of unprecedented scale, reclaiming the sanctity of colleges as safe havens for learning may require much work.

“The calm, cocooned environment that colleges and universities provide for students, employees and surrounding communities was shattered,” said Dr. Wright Lassiter, DCCCD chancellor. “With emergency plans in place and proper training for law enforcement personnel, we hope to meet challenges from the outside world.

“In the meantime, we must be vigilant, observant, and aware of our surroundings,” he said.