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[magimax]

How the heck would any university campus manage a "lock down?"  It would be absolutely impossible at mine, I think.  Short of calling in the military.  When reporters keep bleating about that, aren't they just trying to incite viewers?

Phone tree.  One or more people in every building -- presumably staff -- who go down the halls from room to room telling everyone to stay in place, lock doors, flee to a safe location, or whatever.  The tree is activated by campus security.  It's similar to an evacuation plan for a very large building.

Good idea, but what if one person doesn't answer his/her phone?  I'd think an alarm like a tornado siren (something heard both inside and outside buildings) would work better.  Air raid siren?

[spork]

NPR is saying that a campus-wide email about the first shootings did not get sent until 9:26 a.m. and "campus bullhorns" (I presume sirens) did not get activated until 10:00.

[case_insensitive]

I'm not usually a media-basher, but the ridiculous questions and insane declamations I'm hearing on the TV news are disgusting. Wolf Blitzer and others discussing how fast medics need to respond to save a person who's been shot; how fast you can re-load a 9mm; why the school doesn't have a school-wide PA system; some of it is just egregious and sensationalistic.

These folks haven't done any homework, clearly.  Campus-wide PA system?  Yes, that would be a nice indication to the shooter that he's been found out, not to mention this is a HUGE campus.  Land-grant agricultural and veterinary college.  I'm talking huge...

Clearly, they haven't a clue of the physical size of the campus or the number of buildings or the number of students, faculty and staff.

I'm with spork.

[spork]

That's why "or more" in each building is better.

[spork]

I find it interesting here that gun control and the media are being avidly discussed here, but not my point about identification and assessment of students with psychological problems.  "Campus counseling center" is not what I'm talking about here.

[appleaddict]

I feel sick. Just utterly sick.

[merce]

It is a sad, sad story. I don't know why some killings touch off more emotional responses than others.
I do tend to get v. upset about more and more often than others. I don't think it is a bad thing.
This year I've felt very affectionate towards my "kids" perhaps others feel that way too and that is why this seems closer than other deaths or even killings.

Reporters' questions make no sense.

"Why wasn't there an announcement made after the first shooting so everyone would be notified?"

WTF?

Do they get that this is not a HS? Perhaps they just don't have a paradigm in head ready to deal with this situ.

I try to situate this at my alma mater and there is no way one could be informed for sure.
Imagine it is a shooting in a bank. Does the bank have a way to make an announcement to the whole town?
Would an air raid siren tell you what you should be worried about? What about places like where I am now that don't have air raid sirens.

When Spork says he would be aggressive and act, I see him doing it. Some people probably could do it. I don't know that I could but it is good to think about it.

[zarathustra]

How the heck would any university campus manage a "lock down?"  It would be absolutely impossible at mine, I think.  Short of calling in the military.  When reporters keep bleating about that, aren't they just trying to incite viewers?

Phone tree.  One or more people in every building -- presumably staff -- who go down the halls from room to room telling everyone to stay in place, lock doors, flee to a safe location, or whatever.  The tree is activated by campus security.  It's similar to an evacuation plan for a very large building.

Or an automated system that calls your cell, like a storm alert.  But then everyone would have to have a cell or a "red phone" in their office or classroom or auditorium.  But an ordinary phone tree would never work.  I can just picture our flibbertygibbet secretary trying to manage that. Ack.  And my cell phone is always off during class.

[bio_prof_]

All of the doors in our buildings are glass. They could just be shot out. Anyone could get in.

[red_queen]

Good idea, but what if one person doesn't answer his/her phone? 

This makes me think of those of us who require mobile phones to be turned off during class. I keep mine on vibrate (mostly because I forget to turn it off), but my colleague down the hall and her students are cut off from phone communication.

<Bows head> Such an awful, awful tragedy.

[magimax]

I think the VT President made the best comment:  "This is an open society.  We are an open campus."  This is the danger we run and the price society has to pay on occasion to be open.  There is no way to "prevent this from happening in the future" you ridiculous reporters.  We each have to be aware of our surrounding environment and people and be ready to act if necessary.

[sikora]

In 1990, when I graduated from Big Huge State Football School (not Wisconsin), there were 67,000 undergraduates on the main campus.  When graduate students, faculty, and staff were added in, the total equalled 100,000+ people.  (pm me and guess where I went to college, and I will give you points.  But, like Drew Carey says, the points don't matter).  The place may be so big that a tragic event like VT may have been isolated in a "suburb."

I don't know if wireless technology has helped or hurt - so many versions, flying about? Does it confuse or help?  I don't know.

With grief and sorrow

Obscure, out of orbit in sympathy.

[falada]

Deepest condolences to the VT community from colleagues in Britain.

[untenured]

Just two days ago I stood in front of the infamous 27-story tower at the University of Texas at Austin.  In 1966, a sharpshooter killed 15 people from that tower before being shot dead by Austin police.  Before continuing with my campus tour, I thought briefly how what a horrible event that was and how fortunate we were to live in a safer society.

How wrong I was.

Untenured

[koufax33]

The debates about policies, laws, and procedures right now mean very little to those who lost a loved one in such a sudden, tragic way...I think the most important thing to consider right now are those at VT as part of the higher education community and keep them in our thoughts, prayers, etc.