In light of the recent shootings at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Ill. - less than a year removed from the Virginia Tech slaying - the frequency of on-campus tragedies is a growing concern for students and administrators across the country.
In response to these incidents, UW-Madison would be wise to react to this close-to-home tragedy, yet it is important not to overact in addressing current security policies.
Several universities implemented a lockdown"" policy, in which students remain in their current location behind electronically locked doors. The UW System does not currently employ a ""lockdown"" policy for varied reasons. First, updating older campus buildings to incorporate electronic locking technologies would prove extremely costly. Second, and more prevalent, is that such a policy potentially locks endangered students out of ""safe zones"" in a time of emergency. Further, who's to say that one of the students locked into one of these zones isn't the potential threat?
After Virginia Tech, the UW-Madison Police Department called for an increased ""awareness campaign"" to effectively inform students of on-campus emergencies. After NIU, more action is necessary. In order to properly prepare students in potentially hostile situations, increased communication is the most effective way to prepare the UW-Madison campus.
Before the NIU event, ASM and the UW-Madison police department discussed strategies for increasing communication and awareness in an urgent situation. Past meetings spawned the e-mail system that the police department currently uses when there is a security threat on campus.
Recent meetings found UW-Madison discussed the possibility of a text messaging system to alert students of threats on campus. Another possibility is a phone-tree system in which automated messages are sent out to students, instructing them to limit the number of calls they make during an emergency to ensure phone lines stay clear.
Both campaigns would serve as effective strategies to combat the potential dangers of an on-campus threat. The immediacy of a cell-phone alert reaches a larger number of students in situations that require prompt action.
The existing e-mail system serves the student population well in providing detailed information to the student, but is limited by the need to access a computer and Internet. All three systems working together, though, will only improve the overall awareness on campus in urgent situations.
Until these contracts are finalized, though, students would be wise to heed Dean of Students Lori Berquam's request and make safety on campus a top priority in all situations while on campus.
