campus security: [july 2008]
Published: 06/25/2008
- Heightened Security Urged for Mass. Colleges
From the article of the same title by: Schworm, Peter, Boston Globe - The majority of Massachusetts public colleges and universities have not installed security cameras, hired armed police forces, or trained faculty and staff to spot dangerous students and workers, according to a report that says the state system must undergo massive changes if campus violence is to be avoided. The report further states that not enough of these institutions have performed vulnerability assessments of their campuses and that one-third still need to reach a mutual-aid agreement with local police to respond to disasters.
The report recommends that the state's 29 public colleges and universities develop emergency-response plans and notification systems; deploy a multi-disciplinary team to tackle threats and dangerous behaviors; and train faculty, staff, and students to distinguish symptoms of mental illness. The report further urges schools to conduct vulnerability assessments at least once every year and provide mental health services to help students suffering from substance abuse and eating disorders, as well as those who may be considering suicide. All schools currently have mass notification systems, but only half offer specialized mental health treatment. "Though the risk of a school shooting is very small, it is also very real and schools must be prepared for the event," said the report, which was recently submitted to the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education.
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