In the past week, sections of UW-Madison campus were locked down twice. The first was last Tuesday after Jesse A. Miller called the Dane County Crisis Center and saying he was at the UW Hospital, had a weapon and wanted to be killed by police.
The second occurred Friday after a man robbed an Italian deli on Regent Street. Following the robbery, police locked down the Welcome Center, Newell Smith Residence Hall and Ogg Hall because a suspect of interest was inside the Center.
During both emergencies, UW-Madison acted with appropriate speed in informing students of the situations and keeping them updated. The university went further to inform students in the Miller incident by posting a Facebook memo with information about the Miller incident.
While the university exercised necessary caution in both situations, UW-Madison's follow-up after the emergencies was lacking.
Dean of Students Lori Berquam sent out an e-mail to students Monday warning them to, Please continue to look out for your friends and co-workers, especially when out late at night.""
Though sound advice, the e-mail lacks the tailored response these situations warrant, especially when one considers the message Berquam posted on the UW-Madison website earlier last month that read, ""I urge you to pay close attention to your own personal safety and look out for your friends and roommates, especially when out downtown, late at night.""
Berquam's generic response to the last week's emergency situations is not only unsatisfactory, it's an opportunity missed. Berquam should have used the time directly after the emergencies to open up a conversation with students about how UW-Madison can improve emergency updates next time.
These incidents are the first time the university has used e-mail to inform students of emergencies on campus since the shootings at Virginia Tech. Because this system is new, improvements could be made to make it more effective, and Berquam should ask students what these measures should be.
