Centre statement in response to Northern Illinois University shootings

RELEASED: February 15, 2008

DANVILLE, KY—John Roush, president of Centre College, issued the following statement on behalf of the College community in response to the shootings that occurred yesterday at Northern Illinois University:
 
Our thoughts and prayers are with the students, faculty, staff and families at Northern Illinois University after yesterday's tragic campus shooting. Centre College takes the preparation for emergency situations very seriously, as do campuses across the nation.
 
For a number of years, Centre has created and maintained many levels of crisis planning in conjunction with city and county officials. These planning documents are reviewed and updated regularly.
 
More recently, Centre implemented an Emergency Notification System that effectively enables officials to immediately contact students, faculty and staff should an emergency arise on campus. Community members are alerted by three different means: voicemail, text message and e-mail. The notification system was recently used during a tornado sighting in the area, with much success and positive feedback.
 
More over, the College has an Emergency/Crisis Response Plan that details sequences of action for a variety of potential crises. In addition, the College has a number of backup communication systems in place. For example:
 
—A back-up "urgent" campus e-mail address
—A phone tree of resident assistants and resident directors
—Public Safety officers on duty 24/7, who all have hand-held communication devices at all times
—27 facilities management staff members who can quickly assist with a campus lockdown of classroom buildings. (Residence halls are locked 24/7.)
—Web-site templates, which can be posted quickly to convey emergency information
 
While no plan can possibly defend against every conceivable risk, emergency response is a matter that has received and will continue to receive considerable attention at Centre College.

Again, our hearts go out to those who are suffering in the wake of the NIU tragedy.

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.