Ryan J Service Crisis Management

Campus Crises Natural Disasters (Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Earthquakes) Student Death(s) (suicide, murder, accidents) Student Demonstration (riots) Violent Act (assault, rape) Terrorism The event that changed Crisis Management

Virginia Tech Demographics Located in Blacksburg, Virginia Founded 1872 as a Land Grant College 30,000+ students enrolled 2,600 acre 125 Buildings $1 billion Budget Heavy Focus on Research and Engineering

Virginia Tech April 16, :15 am Cho shoots and kills two students in residence hall. 7:20 am Neighbor reports someone fell out of bed. 7:24 am Police and call additional resources to scene. 7:30-8:00 am Police suspect one of the murdered student’s boyfriends was responsible. Virginia Tech Police believe the shooter is off campus. 7:57 am University Policy Group meets to discuss Residence Hall shooting. 8:25 am University Policy Group plans to issue regarding the West Ambler Johnston shooting.

Virginia Tech April 16, :15am-9:30am Cho chain locks three main entrances to Norris Hall delaying police entry. 9:40am-9:51am Cho enters Norris Hall and begins rampage. 9:41 am a girl calls in the shooting at Norris Hall and the police respond within 3 minutes. Upon police entry Cho ends his own life. 9:50am 2 nd and loud speaker announcement sent out telling everyone to stay where they are. 30 people were killed and 17 wounded in 11 minutes.

Findings from Review Panel Immediately after events at Virginia Tech, Governor Kaine ordered a review panel investigation Key Findings Cho exhibited mental issues before and during his time at VT Failure to communicate about Cho across departments and to parents Legal barriers and law misinterpretation Police response was quick and appropriate to both incidents Police mistakenly thought shooter was off campus VTPD errered in notification of first incident Family assistance area lacked leadership and coordination

Interview with Virginia Tech Student What was done well and what could have been done better? “I honestly don’t think it could have been done any better than it was. VT was outstanding with the way they handled recovery by inviting in the Red Cross and other organizations, opening up the student union facilities for free, and making sure grades were not an issue for anyone regardless of how you were standing before.” Did you notice any security changes occur in the semester following? “This is a another very good thing VT did following the shooting. They didn’t over react. There weren’t metal detectors at every door or police in every bush. Yeah VT got some new toys for their police and did some more training, but all in all, the changes that were made were behind the scenes.”

Interview with Virginia Tech Student Key Points Overwhelming support for VT handling of the situation Thankful for Community and National support Death toll could have been much higher

Crisis Management Upgrades Emergency Notification System What to say? How to get the information out to everyone? Campus wide PA system On-line notifications Cell Phone message system Lock Down System Some universities can lock all exterior doors in seconds. Student Safety Videos Faculty Training to Spot Troubled Students Crisis Management Committee

Virginia Tech Implications Return of “en loco parentis” Change in laws Decrease In Privacy Information from High School Counselors Camera Systems Pressure on Student Affairs and Counselors Profiteering Bullet Proof Book bags Financing Crisis Management Improvements Cost-$10.4 million in upgrades at VT over one year VT hired an additional 11 police officers, 3 counselors, 3 case workers

Recommendations Coordination between police forces and other emergency response services Coordination between Student Affairs and Faculty regarding students University and National Coordination Train for crisis scenario Upgrade Emergency Notification System Have an Emergency Planning Committee Update and test Crisis Management Plan

Questions and Comments Food For Thought What else could Virginia Tech do? What changes do you expect to see in the future? How will change affect us as administrators?

Reference List About the University (2008). Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Retrieved on November 19, 2008 from Boccella, Kathy. (2007). Shots then Swift Action; The university got high marks from security experts for its handling of campus shooting. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved from Lexis Nexis Academic Duncan, Marsha A., & Miser, Keith M. Dealing With Campus Crisis. In Barr, Margaret J., & Desler, Mary K, The Handbook of Student Affairs Administration (2 nd Ed.) (pp ) San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publisher Fischer, Karin. (2008). Virginia Tech Weights Hundreds of Recommendations and Acts on Some. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from Lexis Nexis Academic Fox, James Allen. (2008). Campus Shootings: A Prevention Planner. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from Lexis Nexis Academic Lambro, Donald. (2007). Lessons of Virginia Tech. The Washington Times. Retrived from Lexis Nexis Academic Office of the Governor Timothy M. Kaine Virginia Commonwealth. (2007) Mass Shooting at VirginiaTech: April 16, Richmond. VA. Retrieved from docs/FullReport.pdf Stone, Elizabeth. (2008). The Troubled Student and Academic Violence: Connecting Academic ‘Silos’. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from Lexis Nexis Academic