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Marketing and University Communication UW-Green Bay, CL 815 2420 Nicolet Drive Green Bay, WI 54311-7001 (920) 465-2626 E-mail: hildebrs@uwgb.edu Last update: 2/8/08 |
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In
the News Archive - Year:
December 29, 2007 UWGB security review focuses on communication, Campus officials examining procedures after April massacre at Virginia Tech By Kelly McBride
Officials began reviewing safety procedures on campus after the April massacre at Virginia Tech, in which a student gunman killed more than 30 people, including himself.
A campus-wide security review revealed a lot of positive things, said UWGB Chancellor Bruce Shepard. But officials continue to work on keeping the school safe, trying to prevent threats when possible and responding well when necessary.
"Probably the real 'aha' moment for me was the realization that campus safety is everybody's responsibility," said Shepard, who was a co-chairman of Gov. Jim Doyle's statewide Task Force on Campus Safety. "We all have a role in making sure our campus is safe."
That includes an increased emphasis on mental health and depression screening, Shepard said. Earlier this year, he addressed the stigma associated with depression with an open letter to the campus community that talked about his son's suicide.
"Really, when you think about the greatest risk to our students of violence," Shepard said, "it comes from the violence they do to themselves — suicides. That shame and fear of talking about depression makes the disease more deadly."
The campus has a team of individuals who meet regularly to discuss potentially at-risk students, said public safety director Randy Christopherson. That group traveled to Madison earlier this month for additional training on identifying students in crisis.
Officials also have placed an emphasis on response, reviewing campus notification systems and participating in an on-campus active shooter scenario with campus police, the Green Bay Police Department and the Brown County Sheriff's Department.
An increasing number of college campuses, including St. Norbert College in De Pere, are using message systems that notify students in multiple ways — including text message — when there's an on-campus emergency.
UWGB has looked into such systems, but determined current means of communication — including a public address system and computer messaging — are better suited to campus needs, Christopherson said. The school wants to enhance its communication systems in the residence hall area and is looking at how best to do that, Christopherson said.
UWGB's security findings will be part of a UW System-wide report to the Board of Regents in February.
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