Virginia Tech Weighs Hundreds of Recommendations and Acts on Some

Autor/in	Fischer, Karin
Titel	Virginia Tech Weighs Hundreds of Recommendations and Acts on Some
Quelle	In: Chronicle of Higher Education, 54 (2008) 32, (1 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0009-5982
Schlagwörter	School Safety; Violence; School Security; Crisis Management; Emergency Programs; College Planning; College Administration; Administrators; Prevention; High Risk Students; Mental Health; Committees; Information Dissemination; Evaluation Methods; Rating Scales + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Gewalt; Krisenmanagement; Hilfsprogramm; Studienplanung; College administrators; Hochschulverwaltung; Prävention; Vorbeugung; Problemschüler; Psychohygiene; Committee; Ausschuss; Informationsverbreitung; Rating-Skala
Abstract	Three reports on last April's shootings left Virginia Tech under a mountain of recommendations--roughly 400 in all. So far the university has dealt with some of the most significant ones. Virginia Tech established an emergency-notification system, created a team to assess at-risk students and employees, and hired additional police officers and mental-health counselors. University officials, who have already spent more than $10.4-million on such efforts, say they will make more changes in the coming months. Those actions have earned praise from some observers, including the chairman of a state panel that investigated the shootings. Others worry, however, that instead of wrestling with the thorniest challenges, like reducing bureaucratic obstacles or sharing information about troubled students, Virginia Tech has concentrated on safety enhancements like installing locks on classroom doors. Virginia Tech officials say they are weighing many changes. Last fall the university named students, administrators, and faculty and staff members to a pair of committees that have now sifted through the recommendations from the state and federal investigators, and Virginia Tech's own review panel. The two committees--one of which focused on security and infrastructure, the other on "human dimensions"--culled the suggestions, which ranged from highly specific to vague. The university had already made some of the proposed changes, such as creating a cellphone-alert system, says Richard E. Sorensen, dean of the college of business and head of the security group. The university has enhanced its security and mental-health staffs, adding 11 new police officers, three new counselors, and three case managers; and has also created a threat-assessment team, comprising officials from counseling, legal affairs, and other key offices. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Chronicle of Higher Education. 1255 23rd Street NW Suite 700, Washington, DC 20037. Tel: 800-728-2803; e-mail: circulation@chronicle.com; Web site: http://chronicle.com/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10