campus shooting: a sampling of lessons learned
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Delaware State University
Campus Shooting: A Sampling of Lessons Learned
Presented by
Dr. Allen L. SessomsPresident
American Council on Education, February 10, 2008
Correction Appended
NEWARK, Aug. 5 — The authorities were struggling to explain one of Newark’s most chilling slaughters in recent memory after three young friends were lined up against a schoolyard wall and shot dead late Saturday. A fourth person survived a gunshot.
NEWARK, Aug. 9 — In a day of dramatic turns that included the surrender of one suspect to the mayor himself, the authorities announced on Thursday that a 15-year-old youth and a 28-year-old construction worker had been arrested in the murder of three young people and the wounding of a fourth in an episode that has unsettled this crime-hardened city.
“A big lesson learned from Virginia Tech is don’t wait. Once you have an incident, start notifying the community.”
–Carlos Holmes, university spokesperson
A snapshot of the first hours
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DOVER, Del., Sept. 21 — The campus of Delaware State University was locked down Friday after two freshman students were shot and wounded, one seriously, when an argument that had begun at a university cafeteria resumed on the street, the police said. The two suspects in the shootings were also students, the police said. One was taken into custody for questioning, and the other was being sought Friday night. Neither was identified publicly.
Friday, Sept. 21, 200712:54 a.m.12:54 a.m.
Delaware State University police received a call that two students were shot on campus near the Memorial Hall gymnasium. A single male suspect is being sought. Victims were transported to hospitals within the state.
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Friday, Sept. 21, 20072:01 a.m.2:01 a.m.
• Timely warning notification out• Campus closed to non-essential personnel• Door-to-door in residence halls to secure
students • Tips/info sought through tip line
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Friday, Sept. 21, 20072:40 a.m.2:40 a.m.
• Revised timely warning (more information)• Students secured in residence halls• Completed notification to employees
currently on campus • Media briefed• Crisis management team meets• Notification to campers parked in adjacent
lot attending NASCAR event
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Friday, Sept. 21, 20073:56 a.m.3:56 a.m.
• Update from campus police: condition of victims/investigation
• Action items launched: canceling classes, informing constituents through multiple mediums, keeping students in residence halls
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Friday, Sept. 21, 20075:10 a.m.5:10 a.m.
• President cancels classes/events • Campus access limited to essential
personnel• Employees directed to take the day off• Media briefed• Plans in place to handle parents/families
wanting to pick up students and for students who want to immediately leave
• Media briefings, communiqués to key constituents, crisis team meetings and action plans activated all day.
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• Limited campus access, canceled classes
• Students still confined to residence halls with dining plans in place and limited activities
• Media briefings and communications to key constituents
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Saturday, Sept. 22 andSunday, Sept. 23
• Classes resume
• Media briefings
• Faculty/staff briefing by President and key staff
• Student briefings in groups (through Tuesday)
• Police arrest a DSU freshman that afternoon. He is charged with one count each of attempted murder first-degree, assault first-degree, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and reckless endangering.
Monday, Sept. 24
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32 days after the shooting, one victim dies
(Excerpt from statement by family)
At approximately 3:30 p.m. today, Shalita K. Middleton passed from this world into God’s arms. She struggled valiantly over the last several weeks and she was an inspiration…Ultimately, however, the internal injuries that she suffered were in the end too critical for her to overcome.
October 23, 2007
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MediaPositive
• Numerous briefings
• Backgrounders/ prepared statements
• Real time monitoring of multiple web sites
• Awareness of key rumors
• External help in shaping news releases
• Attention to stereotyping
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MediaChallenges
Back up press office Ensure continuous spokesperson training Be ready with alternative briefing sitesHandle staff fatigue
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Constituent CommunicationsPositives
• Timely
• Often
• Multiple campus briefings
• Multiple mediums
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Constituent CommunicationsChallenges
Complete implementation of wireless cellular emergency system
Collect more parent e-mailsEarlier activation of parent hotline Don’t assume constituents read e-mail/use
web
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University Crisis Management TeamPositives
• Quick response• Assumed the worst to maximize efforts • Close contact with victims’ families • Smooth implementation of emergency funds• Quick activation of support from state and
federal agencies • Promotion of tip line
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University Crisis Management TeamChallenges
Lack of real crisis experience among some members
Up-to-date cell contact list Care and feeding of staff on “front” lines
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Student AffairsPositives
• Quick residence hall alerts • Quick securing of students in residence halls • Plans in place to feed students/offer activities
while secured in halls• Continuous counseling • Plans in place for students who wanted to leave
or parents who wanted to pick them up• Student meetings by President/key staff
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Student AffairsChallenges
Means for students to voice global concerns about violence
More visibility—students want an immediate “parent” figure
Process for answering constant flow of parent inquiries
Clearer process for parents to retrieve students
AftermathAftermathA sampling of actionsA sampling of actions
• Put incident in global societal context• Increase police presence per students’ request • Articulate enhanced safety measures• Increase presence of admissions counselors in
key territories • Heal through memorials, named scholarships,
etc.
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“Based on everything I have seen so far, they’ve done everything right,” said S. Daniel Carter, senior vice president of the nonprofit Security on campus. “They’ve put their warning out; they’ve secured the campus, and they’ve done what they needed to do.”
--Saturday, September 22, 2007, The News Journal
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