From Deseret News archives:
UVSC ponders security
Faculty, students discuss safety plan, message systems
At UVSC "no official violent acts have been reported on the campus," spokeswoman Megan Laurie said, except for minor incidents of crowd control during concerts at the McKay Events Center.
But campus officials said they want to ensure safety, especially after a gunman identified as Seung-Hui Cho last Monday shot and killed 33 people, including himself, in a dormitory and classroom building on the Virginia campus.
About 25 faculty and students attended a discussion last week about campus safety, with plenty of opinions and questions for a panel of officials who work at the Orem college in public safety, student services and communications.
The school has emergency plans, although many faculty commented they were not aware of them, which led to discussion about whether they should be printed on course syllabi.
Safety statistics and emergency plans are on the college's Web site, www.uvsc.edu.
Joe Marrott, UVSC's risk management director, dreams of a video screen system throughout campus to inform people of emergencies. He acknowledged the idea would be expensive to implement.
Matt Harrison, a junior majoring in integrated studies, suggested the school install an intercom system. "I think if we just had intercoms telling us if we should stay in our classes if it's a sniper situation, or if it would be better if we evacuated the campus, I think that would be much cheaper."
Marrott said hard-wiring each building for an intercom system also would be expensive.
"We already have an intercom system through the fire alarms," said Cameron Martin, an assistant to UVSC President Bill Sederburg. "If we could have a message to trip it. It has a speaker and it's loud."
The panel discussed implementing an emergency alert system through the use of cell phones.
"But faculty don't like students using their cell phones in the classroom," philosophy professor David Keller noted.
UVSC student body president Andrew Stone said professors shouldn't be upset if a student received a cell phone message by text.
In a society that admires people who "mind their own business," UVSC behavioral science professor Anton Tolman said people need to "foster a culture that's alert."
If someone is bullied, people should speak out. If someone acts unusual, talk to authorities about it, Tolman said.
"Yesterday, we took three calls of strange behavior," said Chris Rockwood, UVSC's acting police chief. "When you hear people say ... (or) behave a certain way, if that's strange to you, please call. If all we do is talk to them and make sure they're OK and make sure they don't need some counseling from the Wellness Center, that's what we do. I'm not opposed to my officers doing that. We don't just (investigate crimes.)"
E-mail: lhancock@desnews.com
