Resources for Parents in Response to the Virginia Tech Tragedy

April 17, 2007

From Chancellor Herman:

The massacre of 32 students at Virginia Tech Monday has left us shocked and saddened. As chancellor, I want to express the sympathy and concern I know each of us feels for the families and friends of the victims.

I also want to take a moment to remind you that while it is impossible to prevent all incidents of violence, some of our best defenses are early detection and reporting.

Our police department has plans in place for a wide range of emergencies.

However, if you notice that someone is demonstrating or implying threatening behaviors or actions, it is critical that you contact campus police immediately at 911 or 9-911 from campus phones. Students can also contact the Dean of Students office at 333-2121 and employees can report concerns to their supervisors. In a world where random violence is all too common, we must-as members of this campus community-watch out for each other.

We are a family. You are an important member of it.

For students who want to talk about the Virginia Tech incident, the Counseling Center will be accepting walk-in clients, as well as individual and group appointments. The number is 333-3704 and the address is 610 East John Street, Champaign. Faculty and staff can call the Faculty Staff Assistance Program at 244-5312.

As we grieve for the innocent victims of this shooting, please remember that the best way to help protect our campus community is to treat others with respect and civility and to report threatening behavior to the appropriate authorities immediately.

Thank you,

Richard Herman
Chancellor


From the Chief of Police at the University of Illinois:

We are deeply concerned and saddened by the incident at Virginia Tech. Realizing that, at times, incidents of violence may be prevented, for many years we have taken the opportunity to be proactive and educate our faculty, supervisors and staff about the issue of violence in the workplace and campus in general. Our approach is multi-disciplinary in addressing such behaviors using our campus resources and imbedded expertise. When individuals are identified who may be demonstrating or implying threatening behavior there is a long standing process of evaluating these threats in a preventative manner. A campus-wide policy requires that threats be reported to supervisors and the campus police. The goal is to prevent and address threatening behavior when indicators are present. In addition, we have created and presented a training program for our community, Maintaining a Non-Abusive, Non-Violent Environment. This program addresses identification of individuals posing a threat, reporting procedures and police response

As we have been seen from the Virginia Tech tragedy, it is an unfortunate reality that despite preventative measures we must be prepared to react to such threats and incidents of violence. At Illinois, we have assessed our capabilities for mass communications during times of emergency. We have been in the process of procuring technology to send emergency messaging quickly throughout campus. Additionally, we have emergency plans in place for a wide range of potential crises. Our police department, along with all agencies surrounding our campus, have standard cross-jurisdictional tactics in responding to threats in an effective and efficient manner that has been demonstrated through frequent and intense training. We are fortunate on our campus, with mutual aid agreements and a history of long established cooperation, to have a large resource of professional emergency responders available who consistently plan and prepare to serve and protect.

It is critical that we as a university community follow our values of civility and respect. As a community we are all responsible for each others safety and well being. If individuals are demonstrating or implying threatening behaviors or actions, it is imperative that we communicate this concern to the appropriate officials. As parents of our students, we consider you an important part of our community. Please take the time to discuss these issues with your son or daughter.

Kris Fitzpatrick
Interim Executive Director of Public Safety
Chief of Police
Division of Public Safety
1110 West Springfield Avenue
Urbana, Il 61801
217-333-1216
fax: 217-244-7181


In light of the tragic events that unfolded yesterday at the Virginia Tech campus, the Parent Programs Office is offering the following guides and resources to parents to facilitate discussions with your sons and daughters about the events. The Mothers and Dads Associations and the Parent Programs Office joins with the rest of the nation in offering our thoughts and prayers to the entire Virginia Tech community.

UIUC Counseling Center
UIUC Faculty/Staff Assistance Program
Virginia Tech Tragedy Information and Updates--VT Web site
Talking to Students about the Virginia Tech Tragedy (pdf)
Am I Safe on Campus? (pdf)
Is My Child Safe on Campus (pdf)
Bias Related Incidents: Responding as a Student Leader (pdf)
Putting Emergencies "On Ice" (pdf) (Please share this helpful tip with others)

We will continue to add resources and information to this page as it becomes available.


For more information and safety tips:

Division of Public Safety: Safety Resources
UIParents E-Update for March 16, 2007-Campus Safety section
Dads and Moms Illini newsletter, August 2006 issue
Dean of Students Office: Safety Video


Please feel free to contact the Parent Programs Office at 217-333-7063 if you have any questions or concerns. We will keep you up-to-date on this issue as information is made available.