OREM, Utah — Last week’s of shooting of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University (UVU) has sparked significant criticism over the school’s emergency alert system, which many claim fell short during the crisis.
The assassination occurred last Wednesday during an event organized by Kirk’s nonprofit, Turning Point USA. Kirk was shot while addressing students, leading to chaos and confusion on campus.
Students, Faculty Received Delayed and Confusing Notifications
About 19 minutes elapsed before the first notification was sent, leaving many on campus reliant on social media and word of mouth, reports the Salt Lake Tribune. Some students reported not receiving alerts for up to 30 minutes, reports Fox66.
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Over the subsequent five hours, UVU dispatched a dozen messages, culminating in an “all clear” notification at 5:47 p.m. However, the messages before the “all clear” was given were reportedly misleading, even incorrect. The initial notification said the shooter had been captured, which was not the case.
The alerts that followed caused further confusion.
- A second emergency notification that told the campus to “follow police direction” was confusing in that recipients didn’t know what that meant.
- A third message told recipients to evacuate, while another one sent 16 minutes later told them to shelter in place.
- An hour and a half later, a Run-Hide-Fight message was sent, only to be recalled a few seconds later.
The full timeline of the emergency notifications sent immediately after the shooting can be found here.
UVU Faces Calls for Emergency Notification Protocol Overhaul
As the investigation continues, UVU faces pressure to review and potentially overhaul its emergency alert protocols. Additionally, several faculty members told the Salt Lake Tribune that they had not been trained how to respond to an active shooter.
The university’s response to this incident will likely be scrutinized as institutions nationwide reevaluate their own safety measures.
