By Dennis O’Niel

In the wake of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute tragedy in which a lone shooter killed 32 people on a college campus, universities across the country are reviewing their campus emergency response plans. The University of Louisville is among them.

Additionally, after a string of bomb threats at several Kentucky universities, Gov. Ernie Fletcher directed all Kentucky university presidents on Wednesday to submit their campus emergency response plans to the state for review.

U of L President Dr. James R. Ramsey emphasized how safe the campus is in a statement issued Friday: “This week, a nationally recognized campus crime expert cited U of L as a model for campus safety. However, we realize that any serious incident like this can be a learning opportunity, and we use these opportunities to look for and address any areas of concern.”

U of L Associate Vice President for Communication and Marketing John Drees said U of L is heavily evaluating its campus safety and emergency response plan.

Drees said the university formed a new safety committee after the Va. Tech incident. The committee, which Drees, U of L Vice President for Business Affairs Larry Owsley and Vice President for Student Affairs Tom Jackson are set to lead, will examine issues such as campus safety procedures and emergency communication.

“Everything is on the table and we are looking at any possible way to improve campus safety,” Drees said.

But “priority one is notification systems,” Dress said. “The biggest thing we can learn from this tragedy is that we need to be able to communicate quickly and thoroughly with our students.”

The Va. Tech administration was criticized for alerting too slowly the student body about the shootings. The first shooting happened shortly after 7 a.m., but it was not until 9:26 a.m. that the university sent out the first e-mail to students and faculty. By that time, the second shooting had already occurred.

Several universities nationwide have upgraded their emergency notification systems for crises. Drees said the committee will consider many system options to find the best fit for U of L.

“What works for Campus A isn’t always going to work for Campus C,” Drees said. “A campus that is 70 percent residential is going to look at one system, while a campus that is 20 percent residential is going to look at another. We need to find the system that will suit U of L.”

Owsley said the safety committee will also review existing campus procedures. He said he believes the current procedures are solid but alterations are possible

“Since the Va. Tech tragedy, we want to look at that situation and see how our safety procedures would have applied,” Owsley said. “In looking at it this way, it gives us a good perspective on how things can be improved.”

Housing safety

In terms of safety in residence halls, Housing Director Shannon Staten said student awareness of safety issues and procedures needs to be improved.

“We are currently reviewing the policies and procedures that we already have in place for emergencies,” she said. “We want to make sure that we are all up to date on them and [that] students know what to do.”

Assistant Director for Community Development Glen Midkiff, who is responsible for training resident assistants, said there might be heavier crisis training for housing staffs this fall. Midkiff also said student residents should always follow dormitory safety measures.

“Some students get too comfortable in their environment,” Midkiff said. “We want them to be more conscientious about locking their doors and making sure to escort their guests in the buildings.”

Although Drees did not offer a specific timetable for results from the safety committee, he hopes results will come soon.

“The campus safety issue is an incredibly high priority,” Drees said. “Everyone from the President and the Provost on down are giving this their immediate attention.”