Ryan J Service

Crisis Management

Campus CrisesNatural Disasters (Hurricanes,

Tornadoes, Earthquakes)Student Death(s) (suicide, murder,

accidents)Student Demonstration (riots)Violent Act (assault, rape)TerrorismThe event that changed Crisis

Management

Virginia Tech DemographicsLocated in Blacksburg, Virginia Founded 1872 as a Land Grant College30,000+ students enrolled2,600 acre125 Buildings$1 billion Budget Heavy Focus on Research and

Engineering

Virginia Tech April 16, 20077:15 am Cho shoots and kills two students in residence hall.7:20 am Neighbor reports someone fell out of bed. 7:24 am Police and call additional resources to scene.7:30-8:00 am Police suspect one of the murdered student’s boyfriends was responsible.

Virginia Tech Police believe the shooter is off campus.7:57 am University Policy Group meets to discuss Residence Hall shooting.8:25 am University Policy Group plans to issue email regarding the West Ambler Johnston shooting.

Virginia Tech April 16, 20079:15am-9:30am Cho chain locks three main

entrances to Norris Hall delaying police entry.9:40am-9:51am Cho enters Norris Hall and

begins rampage.9:41 am a girl calls in the shooting at Norris

Hall and the police respond within 3 minutes.Upon police entry Cho ends his own life.9:50am 2nd email and loud speaker

announcement sent out telling everyone to stay where they are.

30 people were killed and 17 wounded in 11 minutes.

Findings from Review PanelImmediately after events at Virginia Tech, Governor

Kaine ordered a review panel investigationKey Findings

Cho exhibited mental issues before and during his time at VTFailure to communicate about Cho across

departments and to parentsLegal barriers and law misinterpretation

Police response was quick and appropriate to both incidents

Police mistakenly thought shooter was off campus VTPD errered in notification of first incidentFamily assistance area lacked leadership and

coordination

Interview with Virginia Tech StudentWhat was done well and what could have

been done better? “I honestly don’t think it could have been done any better than it

was. VT was outstanding with the way they handled recovery by inviting in the Red Cross and other organizations, opening up the student union facilities for free, and making sure grades were not an issue for anyone regardless of how you were standing before.”

Did you notice any security changes occur in the semester following? “This is a another very good thing VT did following the shooting.

They didn’t over react. There weren’t metal detectors at every door or police in every bush. Yeah VT got some new toys for their police and did some more training, but all in all, the changes that were made were behind the scenes.”

Interview with Virginia Tech StudentKey Points

Overwhelming support for VT handling of the situation

Thankful for Community and National support

Death toll could have been much higher

Crisis Management UpgradesEmergency Notification System

What to say?How to get the information out to everyone?Campus wide PA systemOn-line notificationsCell Phone message system

Lock Down SystemSome universities can lock all exterior doors in seconds.

Student Safety Videos Faculty Training to Spot Troubled StudentsCrisis Management Committee

Virginia Tech ImplicationsReturn of “en loco parentis”

Change in lawsDecrease In Privacy

Information from High School Counselors Camera Systems

Pressure on Student Affairs and CounselorsProfiteering

Bullet Proof Book bagsFinancing Crisis Management Improvements

Cost-$10.4 million in upgrades at VT over one yearVT hired an additional 11 police officers, 3

counselors, 3 case workers

Recommendations Coordination between police forces and

other emergency response servicesCoordination between Student Affairs and

Faculty regarding studentsUniversity and National CoordinationTrain for crisis scenario Upgrade Emergency Notification SystemHave an Emergency Planning CommitteeUpdate and test Crisis Management Plan

Questions and CommentsFood For Thought

What else could Virginia Tech do?What changes do you expect to see in the

future?How will change affect us as administrators?

Reference ListAbout the University (2008). Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Retrieved

on November 19, 2008 from http://www.vt.edu/about/about-university.html Boccella, Kathy. (2007). Shots then Swift Action; The university got high marks from

security experts for its handling of campus shooting. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved from Lexis Nexis Academic

Duncan, Marsha A., & Miser, Keith M. Dealing With Campus Crisis. In Barr, Margaret J., & Desler, Mary K, The Handbook of Student Affairs Administration (2nd Ed.) (pp. 453-473) San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publisher

Fischer, Karin. (2008). Virginia Tech Weights Hundreds of Recommendations and Acts on Some. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from Lexis Nexis Academic

Fox, James Allen. (2008). Campus Shootings: A Prevention Planner. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from Lexis Nexis Academic

Lambro, Donald. (2007). Lessons of Virginia Tech. The Washington Times. Retrived from Lexis Nexis Academic

Office of the Governor Timothy M. Kaine Virginia Commonwealth. (2007) Mass Shooting at Virginia Tech: April 16, 2007. Richmond. VA. Retrieved from http://www.governor.virginia.gov/TempContent/techPanelReport-docs/FullReport.pdf

Stone, Elizabeth. (2008). The Troubled Student and Academic Violence: Connecting Academic ‘Silos’. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from Lexis Nexis Academic