Security 101: Salem State and other campuses step up safety
By Dinah Cardin/salem@cnc.com
GateHouse News Service
Fri Jul 13, 2007, 12:29 PM EDT
Salem -
Paducah. Jonesboro. Columbine. They may sound like destinations toured by a small garage band, but if we reach back in memory, they are actually cities that have suffered at the hands of teenage angst combined with dangerous weapons.
The Virginia Tech massacre this past spring was a wake-up call to institutions of higher education all over the world. High schools may have their metal detectors and movies starring Michelle Pfeiffer about tough street kids and their violent behavior, but colleges have so far been wide open to strangers and incident.
As Shane Rodriguez, deputy director of the Salem State College Police Department, says, when Seung Hui Cho fatally shot 32 students and faculty at Virginia Tech, he created "our 9-11."
Last July, campus police placed an officer on the task of emergency preparedness. But Virginia Tech put the wheels into rapid motion.
"When people send their sons and daughters to college, the last thing they expect is that they will be gunned down in a classroom or residence hall," says Rodriguez.
That's why on June 29, Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett convened the first annual Essex County College Summit, linking campus security departments with the state police and the FBI.
Officers from Salem State, Northern Essex Community, Endicott, Marion Court and Gordon colleges discussed their various security measures and listened to Col. Mark Delaney from the state police outline a training program for dealing specifically with school shooters.
One of the most unique questions posed to Delaney was whether students should be locked in or out during a hostile shooter situation. His answer? Less moving parts means less confusion for law enforcement. Lock the doors, get away from the windows and wait for the "cavalry."
The cavalry could be any number of local, state and federal law enforcement officers. But getting them on campus can take a while. That's why it comes down to campus police to initially act in a situation.
The FBI terrorism division told the officers to develop a plan and then stick with it, practice it and learn from it. Without being too invasive in students' lives.
Part of this, says Rodriguez, involves reaching out to police departments in Swampscott and other surrounding towns, including them in the plan to call in every available law enforcement officer.
Officers from Salem State College will participate in the state police's active shooter program later this month, along with officers from the Salem Police Department. The state-funded program involves donning swat team equipment and simulating locking down a school to reach the ultimate goal of eliminating the violent threat and saving lives. The only cost to police departments is for the paint balls they will be shooting out of their weapons.
<b>Being prepared</b>
Across the North Shore, college officials are working to tighten security in time for the fall semester.
Of them all, Salem State is probably at the highest risk for a violent attack since the city is difficult to get in and out of, the college encompasses four separate campuses and two new residence halls are being built. It's not only the largest in the area and constantly growing, Salem State is a big commuter school and is soon going to university status. Needless to say, there is a lot going on.
All of this poses a big challenge for safety. Arming officers at Salem State is simply a necessity to protect the students and staff, says the chief of campus police. They started carrying patrol pistols a couple of years ago.
"We finally came to the conclusion it was time," says Salem State chief of police Bill Anglin. "We're our own little city now."
Schools are also looking to use technology to keep students away from campus in case of such an emergency. For two years, the state is funding a text messaging system on all state college campuses that will alert students of emergencies as well as snow days.
During registration, the college will be collecting cell phone numbers from students. It's been proven, says Robert Paterson, chief information officer at Salem State, that you only need 65 to 70 percent of student phone numbers for the system to work.
There are enough students hanging out together that the word gets around.
"The big thing that we learned from Virginia Tech is you need to have multiple channels of communication to the community," says Paterson.
The lesson of overloaded communication channels has been learned on 9-11 and during Hurricane Katrina. Even on Thanksgiving, phone lines get jammed. The school is still working out the final cost when the two-year state funded initiative runs out.
Salem State is the only college in Essex County with armed officers. But that could soon change.
"We're moving closer in that direction," says John Soucy, environmental, health and safety officer at Gordon College.
This might come as a surprise for a religious institution.
"We like to think the Lord is protecting us," says Soucy.
Still, he says, public safety is service oriented and having firearms makes you a better servant.
"It's better than standing and watching it happen," he says.
<b>'No warnings'</b>
At last week's summit, Julia Cowley of the FBI's National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime told the assembled that there are three major categories of violent youth — the mentally ill, the antisocial and the "normal."
They have often engaged in behavior that has caused concern for others. In a study of 41 offenders from 37 schools, the findings showed that the violent youth almost always felt bullied.
Kip Kinkel, from Cowley's home state of Oregon, said over and over that he had "no choice" when he killed his parents and then shot students. Beware, said Cowley, of the "injustice collector."
But school shootings can also result from the angry ex-husband of a faculty member, she reminded the group.
In a slide presentation, she showed disturbing drawings done by the offenders. They were often dark and violent, showing the classic violent youth characteristics of narcissism and lack of empathy.
They often tell no one beforehand if they are serious about doing the act and may plan it forever.
"Eric and Dylan planned their attack for nearly a year and there were no warnings," she said of the Columbine shooters, speaking almost intimately about those in her area of expertise.
Matt Gallagher of the FBI's Victim Assistance Program is someone school officials don't want to get to know. His office assisted Virginia Tech after the shootings. Gallagher spoke of the mistakes made there, like when faculty members were counseling one another.
This summer, Salem State is refining their plan, talking about resources and grants. Rodriguez is putting in long hours during a relatively quiet time for a college campus. His enthusiasm for the topic of preparing for a school shooting seemingly has no bounds.
"We don't want to be caught off guard," he says. "We want to be as prepared as possible. Virginia Tech forced us to take a real hard look at it. We're diligent now."
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Original Source: Boston, MA - Town Online
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Licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0</a>.
Dinah Cardin
2007-07-17
Brent Jesiek
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0
eng
Salem State rallies behind Virginia Tech
By Lisa Guerriero/salem@cnc.com
GateHouse Media
Fri Apr 20, 2007, 04:30 PM EDT
SALEM - The flags at Salem State College flew at half-mast for three days this week in a show of solidarity for the 32 victims of the tragic shooting at Virginia Technical University on Monday. The gesture was perhaps the subtlest undertaken on a campus that was deeply affected by the shootings in Blacksburg, Va., the deadliest campus massacre in the nation's history.
"It's sad and kind of shocking, because you don't know if it could happen here," said SSC sophomore Jenn Runyan.
Police have identified the shooter as Cho Seung-Hui, a South Korea native and VT senior who went on a brutal shooting rampage and then turned the gun on himself, bringing the death toll to 33.
The tragedy hit home for Salem State's faculty and students, as it did at other colleges, and even more so because one of the victims was a Saugus resident, 20-year-old Ross Alameddine, a graduate of Austin Preparatory High School in Reading.
A number of SSC students have friends at Virginia Tech, and one professor taught there before coming to Salem State, said Bruce Perry, the director of the SSC campus center.
"So there's ties and connections," he said.
The president of the Student Government Association, Michael Mitchell, helped coordinate several events and tributes in response to the tragedy and received some 50 e-mails from students offering to help organize a memorial.
"We had a meeting (of the Student Government Association) and it came up that we, as students, can't sit by and let this go unnoticed," said Mitchell.
Salem State was on break for Patriots Day when the shooting happened on Monday, and when students returned Tuesday, campus was buzzing as students exchanged information and pieced together what had happened in Blacksburg. By Wednesday, the effort to support Virginia Tech was already under way.
Perry received an e-mail from Julie Walters-Steele, the director of university unions at VT, asking colleges and universities across the country to send cards and messages. A spot had been cleared at VT to display the tokens of support, and Salem State is doing its part to fill that spot.
"I think people were looking for something positive to do, some way to express their emotions around it," Perry said.
Salem State rolled into action, setting up posters at hotspots around campus. Large posters bore the outline of the Virginia Tech logo, with ribbons decorating the inside of the letters "VT." The posters read, "4-16-07 Today We're All Hokies," in honor of the name of Virginia Tech's turkey-like mascot. That day, students in the dining hall crowded around one of the posters to write messages and pin on flowers and white ribbons.
"To the Virginia Tech community - Salem State will keep you, the victims and their families in our hearts," one wrote. Students in the dining hall on Wednesday evening told the Gazette the shooting summoned feelings of sadness, sympathy and even a degree of fear.
"We relate to it more. Just because we're on a campus, and it could happen here," said Emily Marte, a sophomore who will be a resident advisor next year. She noted that an RA was one of the first killed during the Virginia Tech shooting.
"It makes you feel different when you look at people," added Stephanie Baez, a sophomore.
Students and faculty found another outlet to express themselves and show support through Facebook, the social networking Web site used by colleges around the country. Mitchell, the Student Government Association president at SSC, had seen a Facebook group created after the 1997 high school shooting in Bowling Green, Ky. Mitchell took the lead from them and created a Facebook group called "Salem State Remembers Virginia Tech." The image for the group is a hybrid of the Salem State and Virginia Tech logos.
Mitchell sent out a message to about 300 people affiliated with his Facebook, who in turn passed the information along to their friends and peers. Within a day, 700 Salem State students had joined the group, posting messages of sympathy for the VT community and making suggestions for how Salem State could contribute.
"It's really powerful to see in one day, one-fifth of the campus come to stand behind Virginia Tech," Mitchell said.
SSC student Pat Reidy said many Salem State students changed the images on their Facebook profiles from their own photos to the VT logo. "It got around really quick," Reidy said.
One of the most important messages shared was a call for the college to organize a vigil. Just as quickly as the posters were created and the Facebook group formed, faculty and students at SSC organized the vigil, which is scheduled for Monday, April 23 at 7 p.m. outside the Central Campus residence hall. Organizers made the decision to open the vigil to the public, to anyone who wants to show support and reflect on the tragedy.
"It's a time for the community to come together to express their emotion in regard to the tragedy that happened," Perry said.
The student government and the college pooled some money to purchase 1,100 white T-shirts that say the VT logo and the phrase "4-16-07 Today We're All Hokies," as well as 1,000 white ribbons for participants to pin on their shirts or bags.
The college plans to line up participants to spell out the VT that is the Virginia Tech logo, and take an aerial photo to send to the university. SSC President Nancy Harrington will attend, and several student leaders will offer brief remarks. Mitchell hopes one of the deans, who is also a pastor, will lend his services.
Perry said his office teamed with the Residence Hall Association, faculty members and the Student Government Association to coordinate the events, but students were the driving force.
"The whole idea has sprung from the students," Perry said.
Mitchell said he hasn't seen the student community so collectively moved since the terrorists attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. He sees a few core reasons for the outpouring of support. It hits home that a victim was from a neighboring town and that students and a professor have ties there.
"That, coupled with the fact that the victims are all their age," Mitchell said, "and it happened on a campus - it could have happened here. It really could have."
The public is invited to a vigil for the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting and their families, hosted by Salem State College. The vigil will be held Monday, April 23 at 7 p.m. outside the Central Campus residence hall.
A memorial fund has been established to remember and honor the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting. The fund will pay for counseling, memorials and other expenses. To contribute, visit www.vt.edu/tragedy/memorial_fund.php.
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Original Source: <a href="http://www.townonline.com/salem/homepage/x1160276354">http://www.townonline.com/salem/homepage/x1160276354</a>
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Lisa Guerriero / GateHouse Media
2007-05-30
Brent Jesiek
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5
eng
Leslie Cirineo, a Salem State freshman, signs a tribute poster for Virginia Tech at the college's dining hall on Wednesday [April 18]. Several of the posters were placed around campus for students to write messages to the VT community. They bear the message '4-16-07 Today We're All Hokies.'
Photo by Lisa Guerriero
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Original Source: <a href="http://www.townonline.com/salem/homepage/x1160276354">http://www.townonline.com/salem/homepage/x1160276354</a>
Licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5</a>.
Brent Jesiek
2007-05-30
Brent Jesiek
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5
eng
Salem State College students, staff and others at a vigil on Monday, May 23 for Virginia Tech lined up to form the VT logo. The photo will be sent to the university as a show of support, along with signed banners and wooden VT logo symbols.
Original source: <a href="http://www.townonline.com/salem/homepage/x109703597">http://www.townonline.com/salem/homepage/x109703597</a>
Licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5</a>
Nicole Goodhue Boyd
2007-05-21
Brent Jesiek
eng
Hundreds attend Salem State vigil for Virginia Tech
By Meghan Griffin/salem@cnc.com
GateHouse Media
Wed Apr 25, 2007, 09:36 PM EDT
SALEM - The vigil held at Salem State College on Monday began with the most important thing, the reason some 300 students and faculty had assembled: the 32-plus victims of the Virginia Tech shooting.
Michael Mitchell, president of the Student Government Association, started the vigil by reading each of the victims' names.
"We will keep them in our hearts forever," said Mitchell.
The students and staff who congregated on the lawn of Salem State's Central Campus were there to show their compassion and support in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech University massacre.
The hundreds who gathered at Salem State held candles, and they were all outfitted in custom made T-shirts displaying the Virginia Tech logo on the front and the phrase, "Today We Are All Hokies," on the back in honor of the university's mascot.
Candles lined the walkway leading to Central Campus, and empathetic students stood in groups as they tried to make sense of the tragedy.
The disaster unfolded April 16, at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Va. The nation was shocked to hear that a student open fired and claimed the lives of 32 innocent victims, including 20-year-old Ross Alameddine of Saugus, before turning the gun on himself.
Salem State's commemoration began at 7 p.m., one week after the massacre. Mitchell, who played a large role in organizing the event, extended thanks to all those who helped organize the vigil, and to the Residence Hall Association for producing the T-shirts.
President Nancy Harrington, who will retire at the end of the school year, addressed the situation and called the mayhem at Virginia Tech, "immeasurable." It is important for students to remain united in order to stay strong, she told the crowd.
The vigil brought forward the realization that a disaster could strike unexpectedly at any time, and that no one is fully protected. "We hope and we pray that this is a safe campus," Harrington said, noting that there is no guarantee that such a tragedy will not occur in this violent world.
"There is no real way to prevent something like this," Mitchell added.
A recurring theme of the evening was the need for students to recognize those they may be alienating. Cho Seung-Hui, the student killer who went on the rampage at Virginia Tech, was reportedly a loner and outcast.
"People shouldn't feel alone in this world," said Salem State junior David Overton, who addressed the crowd when the organizers asked if anyone wanted to come up and say a few words.
Dressed in all black, Overton told the Gazette the shooting had a personal effect on him. After the 1999 high school shooting in Columbine, he said, he was questioned by teachers and others at his school.
Overton, a resident adviser at Salem State, said there should have been parts of the community to help Cho Seung-Hui, and that all schools need to be prepared for such an act before it is too late.
A few people, like Overton, chose to share their personal thoughts with the crowd. Jay Carey, a Salem resident and employee at the college's Center for Adult Learning, received an overwhelming applause after reading a poem he wrote about the incident.
"It's a shame," he read, "that we only pull together in the rain."
Students wrapped up the vigil by shaping a huge Virginia Tech logo on the lawn. Photographers captured the moment with aerial shots taken from the roof. Salem State plans to send the photo, along with five signed banners and two signed wooden Virginia Tech logos, to the Blacksburg school to show support.
Harrington was impressed with the turnout. She credited Mitchell for spearheading the event, which was entirely student organized. "The tragedy at Virginia Tech touched everybody," she told the Gazette.
Mitchell said they had to act quickly to pull together the vigil.
"The purpose," he said after speaking to the crowd, "is to give people a chance to reflect."
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Original source: <a href="http://www.townonline.com/salem/homepage/x109703597">http://www.townonline.com/salem/homepage/x109703597</a>
Licensed under <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5</a>
Meghan Griffin / GateHouse Media
2007-05-21
Brent Jesiek
eng