Campus Safety is Focus of Senate Hearing
College administrators, campus public safety officials, and mental health counselors cited measures being implemented to protect those who live, work, and study on college campuses during a U.S. Senate Homeland and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing titled “Security on America’s College Campuses.â€
By CleanLink Editorial Staff
College administrators, campus public safety officials, and mental health counselors cited measures being implemented to protect those who live, work, and study on college campuses during a U.S. Senate Homeland and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing titled “Security on America’s College Campuses.” They reported that campus counseling is stretched thin and will require additional resources to adequately serve large university populations.
The hearing comes in the aftermath of the Virginia Tech tragedy, which has sparked public concern regarding security on college and university campuses.
During the hearing, witnesses said that while college campuses are relatively safe places, past experiences — such as the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the 1999 Columbine high school shootings, and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing — put them on notice that colleges, like other institutions, can easily become targets for both terrorist attacks and violent outbursts. They also called for improved communications systems to alert the campus community to problems, suggesting that new and old communication methods — such as text messaging and public address systems — be used to inform students, faculty and others during a disaster.
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