BLACKSBURG, Va. – According to a report released Aug. 22 by Virginia Tech officials, the university should provide more counseling for students with mental health issues, install improved internal door locks, equip classrooms with message boards for emergency notification, and install additional security cameras, among other things.
The three internal reviews were conducted in response to the April 16 massacre in which a deranged student shot and killed 32 students and faculty members before turning the gun on himself. The nearly 200-page report did not criticize university officials or campus police for their response to the tragedy. School officials said that it would be more appropriate for such an investigation to be conducted by an outside entity. Gov. Tim Kaine’s panel is scheduled to release its findings next week.
Some of the internal review findings include:
- Campus police and fire departments should be located in one building so operations can be centralized
- The door hardware should be replaced so doors cannot be chained, preventing police from entering a premises. (This change has already been implemented.)
- Enhancements should be made to the emergency alert system. (This change has been implemented. The new mass notification system enables the school to contact staff and students via text messages, cell phones, E-mail and online instant messages.)
- Message boards in classrooms and hallways should be installed to alert students during emergencies
- A “people locator system” should be created so campus constituents can inform others of their status and whereabouts
- Locks inside the classrooms should be added so students and faculty in classrooms can shut the doors, preventing shooters from entering
- Virginia Tech officials should evaluate a centrally controlled electronic card access system for academic and administrative facilities
- University officials should review the potential effectiveness of a centrally monitored video surveillance system
- Virginia Tech should conduct more emergency drills
- The school’s data network, phone systems, cable television, educational systems and centralized information systems were stressed during the crisis but performed adequately
- External cell phone systems and the off-campus hardwire telephone systems experienced some blocking of calls during the initial phases of the tragedy
- Emergency responder radio communication interoperability issues were experienced during the crisis, and radios did not work in some areas of Norris Hall
- In light of the interoperability issues, the school’s Information and Communication Infrastructure group recommended a new fully integrated digital campus architecture for all telecommunications functions based on Internet Protocol be installed
- Selected research and administrative IT capabilities should be available to local first responders to improve radio interoperability
- There was confusion among offices or faculty as to the applicability and interpretation of privacy laws pertaining to at-risk students, which prevented the sharing of pertinent information
- There should be an increase in the number of case workers capable of identifying and handling students with mental health issues
- A threat assessment team should be created to evaluate complex at-risk student cases
- Case management capacity should be expanded so the Dean’s office and the counseling center can improve their follow-up with students and improve the flow of information
- Virginia Tech should provide education on privacy laws and clarify communications policies pertaining to external agencies
- The university should train administrators, faculty and staff on violence prevention
The reviews can be found online at:
