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April 20, 2007 > News > Campus responds to Virginia Tech violence

Campus responds to Virginia Tech violence

By Beko Binder and Stephen Whitfield | Thresher Editorial Staff

Two days after Virginia Tech undergraduate Cho Seung-Hui killed 32 people in the largest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, Rice’s Crisis Management Team met to discuss the school’s ability to respond to similar emergencies.

The team — led by Vice President for Administration Kevin Kirby — has representatives from offices across campus, including Public Affairs, Health Safety, Housing and Dining, Human Resources, Rice University Police Department, General Counsel and the Offices of the Provost, President and Dean of Undergraduates.

While the group ordinarily meets quarterly to discuss current events and maintain updated plans of action, they also convene after student deaths and other campus emergencies. At Wednesday’s meeting, the team addressed procedures and preparation for responding to a situation with an active shooter.

Kirby said all 28 of RUPD’s officers are trained in crisis intervention and active shooter procedures and have necessary equipment, such as body armor, to handle a similar crisis.

“Officers are trained to stop the person who is committing the crime as fast as possible,” he said.

RUPD Chief Bill Taylor said all doors with electronic controls can be locked down from the police station, and individualized lockdown plans exist for buildings with older entrances, such as Lovett Hall.

Kirby also said Rice has a well-established chain of communication, and several lines would be used in the case of emergency, such as campus-wide emails and phone messages and notification through college masters and coordinators. An opt-in text-messaging network and campus-wide public announcement or siren systems have also been considered.

Students have responded to the Virginia Tech shootings by rescheduling events and observing moments of silence. Hanszen College observed a national day of remembrance Tuesday by distributing ribbons, and Rice Program Council’s annual Assassins game was canceled. Hanszen is also organizing students to participate in “Orange and Maroon Effect” today, a nationwide movement in which students wear Virginia Tech colors in support of the victims and their families.

Hanszen freshman Alyssa Cotterman said she was afraid of the prospects of Rice experiencing something similar to what happened at Virginia Tech.

“I think it’s one of those things where you feel like it could never happen to you, but it’s a lot scarier knowing that that was a student, and students are everywhere,” Cotterman said. “They’re your friends, they’re your peers, and that someone could do something like that … it’s definitely scary and definitely makes me think about what I would do in that situation. Could that happen here? How could we prevent that?”

Wiess College President John Maurer said the shootings made him more aware of the possibility for unexpected tragedies.

“The event doesn’t make me feel any less safe at Rice,” he said. “But I think it still is a reminder that that really can happen seemingly out of the blue.”

Julia Bursten contributed to this article.

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