A look at safety on the Roanoke campus

The shootings this week at Virginia Tech have raised campus security concerns at colleges and universities across the country, including at Roanoke College.

The safety of students, faculty, staff and visitors is of utmost importance to the college. The Office of Campus Safety provides 24-hour security services to the campus seven days a week, including holidays. Safety officers are armed conservators of the peace who are trained at the police academy and have arrest authority on the college campus.

Campus Safety utilizes a "Community Policing" model that involves safety officers patrolling on foot and bicycles so they have on-going, personal contact with members of the campus community. This approach includes walking through residence halls and academic buildings on a regular basis.

Communications

Roanoke College has a close working relationship with the Salem Police Department, and the college maintains direct radio contact with the police. In the event of a 911 call, the notification goes directly to Salem dispatch for fire, EMS or police response. At the same time, Salem notifies the college via radio contact so the safety officers on campus can respond immediately.

Communications with the college community are an important part of Roanoke's safety plan. In accordance with the federal Cleary Act, the college issues timely notices as needed about crimes or security situations that may pose a risk to members of the college community.

Students are notified about campus safety issues via e-mail and word of mouth by staff including the residence hall staff. The campus phone system allows for campus-wide phone alerts or voice mail messages to college phones. With so many students carrying cell phones today, the college is looking at additional technology that would enhance our ability to communicate with students in a timely manner.

Crisis Management Team

When an incident happens on campus, the college convenes its Crisis Management Team, composed of mid-level and senior administration, to address issues that may impact the college. Roanoke's Emergency/Crisis Guideline Manual includes (but is not limited to) plans for events such as harm to students, fire, and bomb threats, etc.

Campus Safety officers have a close working relationship with residence hall staff, including professional Area Coordinators and student RAs (Resident Advisors). Residence hall staff members are trained to call Campus Safety to assist with any situation where violence or strong emotions exist. Residence halls are locked at all times, and individual rooms can be locked as well. All campus residence halls require a key or card access to enter.

Safety Practices and Resources

As seen at Virginia Tech, the emotional state of just one student can become a crisis. Some of the most effective safety practices at Roanoke are regular meetings to discuss students who appear to be having difficulties. As a result of these meetings, troubled students are connected to appropriate support offices. Resources to students in need are provided by Health Services, the College Counseling center, the Goode-Pasfield Center for Learning and Teaching or through professional resources in the Roanoke Valley.

Students play an important role in their own safety. The college often reminds students of good personal safety habits. This information is provided to students via e-mail, meetings in the residence halls and in other student programming.

Emergency phones are placed around campus in strategic locations. Red emergency phones provide direct contact with the campus switchboard during the day and the Campus Safety Office during the evening. Red phones are located in the following buildings: Olin Hall, Miller Hall, Lucas Hall, Trout Hall, Trexler Hall, Life Science Building, Fintel Library, Alumni Gym, West Hall and Bast Center.

Yellow courtesy telephone boxes are located outside residence halls and the Belk Fitness Center. Those phones can be used to call any campus telephone number including campus safety. The courtesy phones also have an emergency button that dials 911 (City of Salem Police, Fire and Rescue).

Tom Turner, director of campus safety, serves on the advisory committee for the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Service's recently created Office of Campus Police and Security. He also served on the 2005 Crime Commission task force that studied safety on Virginia campuses, and he sees the Virginia Tech shootings as a "watershed" event in campus safety.

"Guidelines for responding to armed individuals were developed after the Columbine high school tragedy, but these guidelines are difficult to apply at a college or university where you have a culture of openness and many buildings spread across many acres," Turner says. "I think we will see a new model of response as a result of the Virginia Tech event."

Virginia's Office of Campus Police and Security was created as a result of the Crime Commission's task force and has identified the best practices for Campus Safety. Roanoke College currently has in practice 20 of the 23 "best practices" applicable to private college security departments.

The College remains dedicated to providing a safe and secure living and learning environment. We continually monitor safety and security issues and make adjustments as warranted. A Task Force has been appointed to study such issues in light of the unprecedented tragedy at Virginia Tech.