KCCI.com, IA
08-28-07
ISU Develops Campus Electronic Alert System
Officials Say Hiring More Officers Priority
AMES, Iowa -- A new school year renews worries about school violence.
Schools are taking steps to prevent tragedies such as one at Virginia Tech last
April.
A gunman on Virginia Tech's campus killed 32 people. The school was criticized for not alerting students of quickly as the shootings unfolded.
Colleges across Iowa have started revamping their procedures.
"There's no one easy solution when you start looking at ways to improve communication with thousands of students and staff here on the Iowa State campus. That's why university leaders are looking at a variety of different systems," said John McCarroll of the Iowa State University's University
Relations Department.
Time can be a critical factor in an emergency, especially when officials are trying to get information out to thousands of students and staff on a university campus.
"A public university of this size is constantly in motion. The students, faculty and staff --- it's an open campus so anyone can really be on this campus at anytime,"
McCarroll said.
That not only makes it more difficult to effectively and efficiently reach students at any time.
But an open campus opens the door to potential threats and risks from outside the university community. "I think the board of regents and the governor both feel it's extremely important we provide as much safety and security as possible,"
McCarroll said.
Iowa State is working on an electronic communication system that can send emergency information through e-mail, voice mail and text messages.
Officials said that an outdoor public address system and indoor intercom linking all the buildings on campus would also help spread the word to students and staff at anytime and anywhere.

"Some kinds don't have TVs in their rooms or computers and so a better way to get everyone notified of the situation would be great, I think," said student
Victoria Lund.
The university could use the system in the event of severe weather or a major crisis.
Even though most people on campus say they feel safe, no one wants to take that safety for granted.
"I certainly do. I don't hear a lot of complaints that people don't feel safe.
Incidents like Virginia Tech suggest that it's hard to know when you're safe and when you're not," said ISU Associate Provost Susan Carlson.
University officials said hiring more campus police officers is a priority. They plan to present the Board of Regents with an estimate next month on the cost.
Officials said it will likely be more than $1.5 million.
The debate also continues over whether campus police should carry guns.
There will be on-campus forums Friday and next Wednesday to discuss if armed officers would improve safety.
ISU President Gregory Geoffroy is expected to make his recommendation on the issue to the Board of Regents next month.
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