In the Wake of the Virginia Tech Tragedy

Richard F. Wilson

 

April 19, 2007
To the Illinois Wesleyan Community:

The tragic events on the campus of Virginia Tech have stunned the entire country over the last few days. The reports are both shocking and heartrending. I ask that you keep the Virginia Tech community in your thoughts and prayers.

Following the news reports from Blacksburg, we have had a number of inquiries from students, faculty and staff, families and friends of the University about our own preparedness for emergencies and crisis situations.

I want you to know that Illinois Wesleyan has provided an Emergency Procedures Guidebook in every employee benefits notebook for at least 15 years and created an Emergency Response Team to take on additional responsibilities after the tragic events of September 11, 2001.

Following the Virginia Tech tragedy, I asked the Emergency Response Team (ERT), which is led by Vice President Kathy Cavins, to review our current plans and procedures so that we are prepared not only to respond to events and communicate appropriately, but also to anticipate potential situations whenever possible. In the meantime, you can find an outline of how we respond to emergency situations below and on our Web site at https://www.iwu.edu/student-affairs/emergency.html.

By its very nature, a university is an open community. We must never lose sight of this; however, at the same time, we need to be committed to the safety and security of our campus community. I ask that each of you join in that effort, as we move forward together.

Dick Wilson