A student group at UCLA announced plans to create an institute on campus violence at the school that will be dedicated to the professor who was killed on campus June 1.
The UCLA Undergraduate Students Association announced the plans at a news conference where members pointed to the lack of progress in preventing gun violence at schools across the country.
“[The institute will] utilize the university’s research and public service capacity to study strategies to combat campus violence,” the group announced.
The center, which will be known as the UCLA Institute on Campus Violence, will be dedicated to former professor William Klug, who was fatally shot in his engineering office on campus by a former student earlier this month.
State lawmakers said California will pledge $5 million to the research center, although a bill confirming the payment will need to pass both houses and be signed by Governor Jerry Brown.
The school will also create a task force focused on improving the university community’s preparedness for emergency responses.
The university has been criticized for not having the proper door locking mechanisms in place for students to follow shelter in place commands given at the time of the shooting. In light of the school’s lockdown problems, Campus Safety spoke with a physical security expert about lockdown best practices.
The university plans to improve its alert system to keep community members better-informed in emergency situations.
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