Date: Wed, 09 May 2007 17:12:39 -0400
From: President of Virginia Tech <>
(by way of Suzie Karlin)
Subject: Internal Review of April 16, 2007 Events
To: (Deans, Dept. Heads, and Univ. Center Directors)
MEMORANDUM
TO: Deans, Directors, Department Heads
FROM: Charles W. Steger
DATE: May 9, 2007
SUBJECT: Internal Review of April 16, 2007 Events
Recent weeks have been devoted to providing support to those families who lost loved ones and those who were injured during the tragedy of April 16th. We have also focused considerable effort on preparing the University Community for Commencement on May 11th and 12th.
Now we must also give attention to examining what occurred and sharing what we learn with others so that we can do what is possible to avoid such incidents in the future. My purpose in writing is to advise you as to what is already underway, as well as what will be initiated to insure a complete and thorough review.
As outlined in our Emergency Response Plan, two groups have been operating. The first is the Emergency Policy Group. It was convened as soon as we were notified of the incident in Ambler Johnston Hall. It continues to meet on almost a daily basis to consider policy questions from tuition refunds to support for families, etc.
The second is the Emergency Response Resources Group. This group provides support for emergency operations, addresses the safety and welfare of students, employees, and visitors and assures, as best possible, the continuity and timely resumption of university operations. It, too, continues to meet on a regular basis.
The following reports are being generated:
As is outlined in our plan, two Incident Review Reports are being prepared. One for the events in Ambler Johnston Hall and one for the events in Norris Hall. Mr. Hyatt is coordinating the preparation of these documents. Each of these reports examines how the university responded to the events and what lessons can be learned for the future.
The Commissions established by President Bush and Governor Kaine will consider many of these issues from a State and National policy perspective. Certainly we recognize that there are many other aspects of university policies, operations and infrastructure, which must be examined carefully. As we reflect on the lessons of the Morva incident, there was a substantial amount of misinformation in circulation. This misinformation resulted in emergency evacuation of buildings that could have placed people in harm's way. Our efforts will focus on minimizing panic while rapidly providing accurate information to the university community.
As a result, we have established the following working groups who will examine these issues from the perspective of the university. The purpose is to look at strengths and weaknesses of our existing systems/infrastructure and how they may be improved or augmented to address emergency situations that might arise in the future.
1. Telecommunications Infrastructure (Erv Blythe, Chair)
2. Interface between Counseling Services, Academic Affairs, Judicial Affairs and the Legal System (Jerry Niles, Chair)
3. Security Infrastructure: sirens, tailored verbal messaging, and automated locking of building or zones within buildings, etc. (James Hyatt, Chair)
Where appropriate, the university will retain the assistance of experts to assist in carrying out the review and recommendations.
These three working groups will begin no later than Tuesday, May 15, and provide preliminary reports no later than August 15th, prior to the beginning of school. It is our hope to learn about the strengths and areas for improvement of our existing systems. From this, we can take steps to make our campus safer in the future.
Your cooperation and input to this effort would be much appreciated.
/sws
cc: Virginia Tech Board of Visitors
President's Academic Council
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