Dive Brief:
- After the shooting at Umpqua Community College, higher education institutions are reviewing their own security procedures, trying to figure out if any lessons can be applied to their campuses.
- The New York Times reports the Virginia Tech and Columbine massacres prompted campuswide emergency alert systems, faculty training, and, in some cases, student training for responding to an active shooter.
- The Oregonian reports Umpqua’s automatic alert system did not warn the campus community of the shooting, and though it is too early to tell why, it may have all happened too quickly.
Dive Insight:
Umpqua Community College classes remain suspended through this week as staff and students continue to mourn those who were killed. According to Reuters, the campus itself reopened Monday with grief counselors, comfort dogs, and faculty members on hand to help students in the aftermath of the nation’s most recent mass shooting.
The community college will almost certainly shift its focus to its own response in the days to come, figuring out why all students, faculty, and staff did not get alerted to the danger. This research could save lives on other campuses as they prepare for the unexpected.