Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Saturday, February 16, 2008
In wake of NIU shooting, local colleges look toward prevention
Security cameras and security guards alone probably are not enough to keep a campus safe in these times, one local college official said Friday, the day after a shooting at Northern Illinois University left five students and the gunman dead.
“What it takes is to identify threats early on,” said Mike Pieper, vice president of finance and operations at Western Technical College.
The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse has devoted a lot of time and training on preventing such violence since the Virginia Tech shooting last April, said Paula Knudson, UW-L vice chancellor for student affairs and academic services. A disgruntled student killed 32 people at the Blacksburg, Va., campus before taking his own life.
UW-L has a Behavior Intervention Team of five to seven people, including residence life staff and a campus violence prevention specialist. Anyone who sees odd or suspicious behavior can contact the team to investigate and intervene if needed, said Knudson.
If multiple sources, such as a roommate or professor, report concerns about the same person, UW-L might be able to help the individual before it is too late, said Knudson.
“We want people to be vigilant and observant without being fearful,” she said.
UW-L also is creating a checklist to help campus departments plan for emergencies, such as having a code word that can be used when a dangerous situation arises, said Knudson.
If a shooting or other major emergency occurs, UW-L already has an emergency preparedness plan.
The first step is to summon emergency responders and campus police, said Knudson. Another priority is to inform media about what is happening, she said.
The 10-officer campus police force tests parts of the emergency response plan with communication staff four times a year, said Scott Rohde, campus chief of police.
“There is no way to test the entire plan,” said Rohde. “We look at portions we haven’t drilled or tested in awhile.”
UW-L has a variety of ways to notify the campus of an emergency, such as City Watch, which sends students and staff a telephone text message, voice message or e-mail.
Western has an incident command team made up of 16 individuals on campus, said Pieper.
The team regularly meets on how to respond to events, said Pieper, such as contacting authorities or communicating the emergency campus-wide.
Viterbo University’s Web site outlines its emergency response plan for numerous emergencies, from a hazardous chemical spill to a “hostile intruder.”
A team meets every other week on the emergency response plan, said Pat Kerrigan, Viterbo vice president of communications and marketing.
KJ Lang can be reached at (608) 791-8226 or klang@lacrossetribune.com.
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