MSU officials reacted to Monday's shootings at Virginia Tech University by posting emergency response information on the university's Web site to answer questions students might have regarding their own safety.
The information surfaced on the site early Wednesday morning and is outlined to cover topics ranging from reporting a crime or suspicious activity to how MSU police train to handle different situations.
"When you try to do emergency planning, you try to think about information that is applicable to multiple circumstances," MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon said. "What we tried to do was consolidate it in a way that was more understandable and readily accessible."
There are almost 200 emergency coordinators responsible for advising and assisting faculty, staff and students in buildings across campus if an emergency occurs. There also is a combined special response team of about 20 officers from the East Lansing, Meridian and MSU police departments who are e for responding to high-risk drug busts, hostage negotiations and other critical incidents.
Every MSU police officer trains with the Range 3000 XP4, a computer that provides the officers with virtual reality scenarios of different situations involving shooters and bystanders to help officers develop judgment and decision-making skills.
The university is testing ways to improve its reverse-911 system as well as to allow it to dial registered cell phones.
But why did it take one gunman to kill 32 others and then himself in a university half the size of MSU to bring the emergency information to light?
"The information already existed and was available," university spokesman Terry Denbow said. "But clearly, because of this week, we've gotten a lot of calls for one-stop shopping, and the packaging of it is important.
"This isn't stuff we were writing overnight. This is stuff we put together. This is indeed responsive to questions we've gotten internally and externally since the Virginia Tech tragedy. This was done with the intent to respond to questions and advice from people."
For now, a link to the information is posted on MSU's home page along with Simon's reflections on the tragedy. The site also is available off the MSU police's Web site at www.police.msu.edu.
Human biology freshman Alyssa Vermeulen lives in Bailey Hall, where one week ago today, a 19-year-old male student ignited explosives. Although Vermeulen said she slept through last week's explosion, she said she's become more aware of her surroundings because of Monday's shootings.
"Virginia Tech doesn't really affect me that much, but it makes me look around more." she said. "I'm not oblivious to everything."
Vermeulen added that university officials made a good decision in posting the emergency information on MSU's home page and said she will read through it.
However, psychology junior Allissa Arent said students don't have the attention span to absorb the information.
"Students won't go through the exercise to sit there and read it," she said. "Everyone automatically assumes you're safe on a college campus, but people slip through the cracks. There are no differences between MSU and Virginia Tech except we have more students."
Arent added that she understands why emergency information wasn't posted on MSU's Web site until after the massacre.
"You don't worry about it until something awful happens," she said.
Lt. Penny Fischer from MSU police's Emergency Management Division, said it was difficult to compile information in a comprehensive manner because the university has many resources. She added students should be reassured of their safety despite Monday's massacre at Virginia Tech.
"Much of that stuff came from brochures and pamphlets we hand out to the community," Fischer said. "I would say a good share of that is in printed media in different forms at the police station, community policing offices, most of the major student units, residence life and student services.
"Because of the public interest, we tried to put it in a form that's more digestible — more direct information."
Will Moran, a hospitality business junior, said he feels "very safe" on campus.
"I'm not going to question my safety," Moran said. "You can't live in fear.
"I don't feel like someone's going to come into class and blow me away."
