To:                   The St. Lawrence Community

From:               President Daniel F. Sullivan

Date:                April 19, 2007

Subject:           Safety and Security Protocols

As we begin to understand what happened at Virginia Tech this week and ask ourselves about our mutual responsibilities for safety and security, I would like to outline for you some of the premises that underlie the approach my staff and I bring to emergency situations. Of course we all hope and pray that the horrific tragedy the Virginia Tech community experienced will never happen anywhere again, at that level or any level.  At the same time, we must be prepared for any circumstance, even the rare.  And so I write.

In the context of a residential college, we constantly seek a reasonable balance between freedom of access to the spaces and people who make up our community and safety and security for the individuals who live, study and work here.  Of course, our assessment of what is a reasonable balance will necessarily shift with time as new safety and security resources, as well as new demands, require us continually to evaluate what we do.  With that in mind, in our view maintaining safety and security has three, integrated aspects:  facilities management, staffing, and rapid, accurate communications.  This summary outlines the current status and our existing plans for all three areas.

Facilities management:  The St. Lawrence campus in Canton has approximately 40 buildings, categorized as residential spaces, academic spaces, and mixed use spaces.  All on-campus residential spaces have computerized access controls such that, with a card swipe, people authorized to have access do have access and when unauthorized access is attempted that is known immediately at Security; residences on the periphery of campus have access control—usually a combination lock—at each site.  All of the residences are, by default, locked 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  Each room in all residences automatically locks when the door is closed.

For spaces governed by the centrally controlled system, the Security and Safety staff can know, by card identification, those who enter a residence, and when.  Security staff can disable individual access cards for any and all spaces.  As part of our normal capital budgeting process we have scheduled an upgrade for the peripheral campus residences during the summer of 2007, bringing all residence spaces under the same central control.

Academic spaces have locks on all building exterior doors and locks on offices and most classrooms. However, facilities or security staff must manually lock and unlock the exterior doors.

Of the mixed use spaces (e.g., the athletics complex, Student Center, administrative offices), some have centralized computer access control and some have manual locks.

Staffing:  St. Lawrence employs a 16-member professional staff whose members are focused on campus safety and security.  Our staff will respond to any emergency situation with a focus on protection of students and employees, while appropriate village, county and state authorities, called immediately, will set up a command post and coordinate any necessary investigation.

Communications: St. Lawrence begins its communications approach with the premise of transparency.  In the event of campus emergency, we determine the potential of imminent danger and err on the side of communication, providing as much verified information as can be determined and providing regular updates. We have employed broadcast e-mail and voice mail methods successfully, we post information to the University Web site, and we mobilize Student Life staff at all levels to communicate in person. We have decided to invest in a new, flexible contact system that will allow rapid notification on both land line and cell phones, in voice and text message formats, and are researching options.  We are purchasing a new security vehicle with a built-in portable address system, and we are exploring the use of customized siren systems for those not connected to a cell phone, land phone or computer. 

I want to conclude with thoughts that I came across from the dean of students at Trinity College: “Among our best defenses are the many involved and caring members of [this] community.  In this spirit, I appeal to all of us to make sure we are paying attention to signals that may portend danger. We need to tell the appropriate people when we are worried.  If comments from a friend or colleague, passages written in an essay, references to violence in an e-mail, or some other form of expression concern you, please call Campus Safety, the Dean of Students office, Dean of [Academic Affairs], Human Resources, or a department head. This way, the appropriate College staff can speak with the person, determine the motivation behind the message, and follow up in the appropriate manner. In the same spirit, it is important that everyone give careful consideration before engaging in humor or other forms of expression that may strike others as morbid or violent.”

I think that’s good advice, especially relevant for a community as close and connected as St. Lawrence. Please remember, too, that if you feel anxious or concerned about the Virginia Tech events this week, the Counseling staff is available at all times. 

A reminder that our Emergency Preparedness Web site has been a resource for you and will continue to be updated and expanded. I would be happy to respond to your specific questions about campus security protocols, or to connect you with the professional staff who can assist you.