Safety task force suggests campus improvements

Youngstown State University has stepped up patrols and hired more part-time police.

COLUMBUS (AP) — Colleges and universities should coordinate emergency drills with hospitals and media organizations and create a hot line for callers with information about security threats, a state task force on campus safety said Tuesday.

The guidelines come as Ohio schools begin to welcome the first incoming freshmen since last spring’s shootings at Virginia Tech, in which a gunman killed 32 people and then himself.

Shortly after the tragedy, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland formed the Task Force on Campus Security, citing a need for colleges to re-examine their security plans.

The group, which includes representatives from colleges and law enforcement agencies, met three times this summer under state Board of Regents Chancellor Eric Fingerhut.

Some schools have already made changes. Campus police at Youngstown State University stepped up their patrols and hired more part-time staff to double the number of officers on certain shifts, said Lt. Greg Clementi.

The early actions have been largely successful, said Deborah Gavlik, a vice chancellor for the state Board of Regents.

“Campuses have been thinking about these issues all summer,” she said, and improvements are noticeable as students return to classes.

Other measures

Campus police at the University of Toledo ordered long-range rifles and gave their officers special training in protecting students in the unlikely event of a shooter’s opening fire, the department said.

“We’re trying to be self-sufficient,” said Police Chief Jeff Newton. “During a critical incident, time is important and you can’t rely on outside assistance to address the threat.”

Improving student access to mental heath care is also vital to preventing tragedies like the one at Virginia Tech, Gavlik said. The hope is to make campus community members more aware of the warning signs of potentially suicidal or homicidal behavior, she said.

Seung-Hui Cho, the Virginia Tech shooter, had a history of mental problems.

At Oberlin College, about 35 miles southwest of Cleveland, the department of student health and counseling is restructuring this year to help the college better monitor seriously depressed or violent community members, said spokesman Al Moran.

A team of people involved in all aspects of student life — coaches, class deans, resident coordinators — meets every Monday to check in and make sure students get the help they need, he said.

Notification systems

The Virginia Tech shootings also prompted scrutiny of how campuses get the word out during a crisis. It took Virginia Tech officials two hours to e-mail students and faculty a warning about a gunman on campus.

Some schools, such as the University of Findlay and Xavier University in Cincinnati, will install a system that can instantly send text messages to cell phones and pop-up messages to campus computers in the event of an emergency.

The University of Toledo is looking into a similar text-messaging service, as well as a campuswide public address system that would be able to broadcast real-time information on emergencies.