News releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
4/10/08

CONTACT: Deb Hettrick and Jason Whitney of UWPD, (608) 264-2677; Kevin Helmkamp, (608) 263-5702, khelmkamp@odos.wisc.edu

VIRGINIA TECH TRAGEDY SPURS UW-MADISON FOCUS ON PREVENTION

MADISON - It's been almost one year since Seung-Hui Cho went on an April 16, 2007, rampage on the Virginia Tech campus in Blacksburg, Va., killing 33 students and staff and wounding 26 others.

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, students grieved with a candlelight vigil, a listening session, a bell ringing ceremony and a large white sign bearing condolence messages on Bascom Hill.

For campus administrators, reminders of the tragedy are everywhere. The seismic impact of the event, magnified by more recent shooting events at Louisiana Technical College and Northern Illinois - and even last week's killing of UW-Madison student Brittany Zimmermann - amplify the focus on safety and security.

"The tragedy at Virginia Tech was a watershed moment for all of us in higher education and the nation," says Chief Susan Riseling of the University of Wisconsin Police Department (UWPD), author of the UW System President's Report on Campus Safety. "Much like Columbine, it shocks us to believe someone is capable of such senseless violence.

"We have made significant strides in detection, prevention, warnings [and] response capabilities in the last year," she adds. "Each incident that has followed we have used to continually improve our efforts."

Numerous campus units have reviewed and revised their operations to protect the campus community from a similar event. However, it is also important to remember that there are no guarantees, and even the best planning can be ineffective against someone determined to cause violence.

The most important area noted in Riseling's report deals with prevention: the idea that the best response to any threat is to prevent it from ever coming to fruition. One of the best ways to learn of and prevent a threat is through extensive communication among administrators and to and from members of the campus community.

On other campuses, there have typically been "red flags" of troubling behavior that preceded a violent act. With Cho at Virginia Tech, several campus units there were independently aware of red flags, but information was not shared in an effective way.

"When it comes to preventing violence, we encourage the reporting of troubled or disruptive people through the channels able to assist the person," says Karen Soley, UWPD captain for field services. "The important message is to share information."

The idea is to get a troubled individual the resources and support he or she needs to be successful, and in some cases, make a informed assessment of their behaviors.

The Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which covers student educational records, does not extend to observable behavior a student may display in class or elsewhere and should not be an impediment to coordination among instructors, administrators and police, Soley says.

She encourages everyone to be aware of the signs of a person in crisis who might be displaying behaviors that could include chronic depression or mood swings, perceptions of injustice, isolating behavior or hostility or frequent allusions to violence.

For students, the Offices of the Dean of Students is a contact point in these situations; the Office of Human Resources is available for faculty and staff concerns. If the person has no affiliation to the campus community, UWPD will help.

Even prior to Virginia Tech, UW-Madison had a multidisciplinary team in place to intervene in cases of troubled and disruptive students. The team members are from units likely to be aware of troubled and disruptive students and are led by the Offices of the Dean of Students.

In August, a higher-level team, known as the Threat Assessment and Response Team, was formed to deal with violent behavior or violent threats of students, staff or nonaffiliated people on campus. To respect privacy, the group does not publicize individuals who come to the attention of the team.

However, if there is a significant credible threat to the campus or a portion of the campus, legal and protective measures may be taken and information will be shared with campus regarding the threat and possible crime prevention steps. UWPD, in conjunction with other campus units, also has a detailed crisis plan to respond to major incidents that might impact the campus community.

"It is critical that we educate students staff and faculty to the behaviors that are problematic and have them understand who to turn to help prevent these acts," Riseling says. "In the event we are unable to prevent or interrupt the act, we are ready to react quickly and with force sufficient to end the attack."

To that end, UWPD has developed a new set of safety training resources for UW-Madison faculty and staff. However, faculty and staff can play a major role in responding to or averting these situations by being aware and informed.

A voluntary, one-hour session on "Avenger Violence Awareness" will be offered at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, April 14, and at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 16, at 21 N. Park St.

Attendees will receive information on how to identify warning signs of a person in crisis, what to do with concerns about behaviors, violence as a process and the violence continuum, phases of mass casualty shooters and what to do in the event of an active shooter incident.

To register, members of the campus community can visit https://fpm-www3.fpm.wisc.edu/OHRD/OHRDCatalogPortal/Default.aspx?tabid=29 and click in the category "Safety and Security."

As an alternative, departments and buildings may schedule presentations on the topic by contacting Sgt. Tamara Kowalski at (608) 262-9971 or tjkowals@wisc.edu.

In addition, several presentations and Web resources on "Survival Strategies in the Event of an Active Shooter" and "Dealing with Troubled People," along with additional safety information and emergency procedures, are available at http://www.uwpd.wisc.edu.

For more information on university responses to crisis planning, mental health issues and emergency notifications, visit http://www.news.wisc.edu/15051.
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- John Lucas, (608) 262-8287, jplucas@wisc.edu