Mount St. Joseph University prays and grieves for the families of Michigan State University.
Mount Community,
Like many of you, I awoke this morning to the news of the Michigan State University active shooter incident that occurred last night in East Lansing, Michigan. There are no words that can appropriately capture the heartache we feel for the families who have lost their loved ones or whose loved ones are injured. Yet, as a Mount community, we pray for and grieve with the families – and all who have been touched – by these senseless acts of violence.
Understandably, this mass shooting on a university campus may heighten your thoughts about safety at Mount St. Joseph University. Clearly, there is no one simple answer to campus safety, but the Mount has taken a robust approach to protecting each of you and all who enter our campus. We have a comprehensive approach to campus safety that includes, but is not limited to:
- MSJ Police Department staffing on campus 24/7/365—our officers are all commissioned Police Officers by the State of Ohio
- Security cameras in strategic locations around campus that are monitored by the MSJ Police Department 24/7/365
- Emergency Response Plan to include Security Marshalls in each building on campus
- Regularly conducting MSJ Police Department and Delhi Police Department training and drills on ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate) active shooter response
- Requiring all MSJ employees to completed on-line ALICE training annually (ALICE training video link: MSJ Campus Safety Message: A Practical Response to an Active Shooter)
- Conducting ALICE training with Seton Hall Residence Advisors annually
- Conducting safety training for incoming students at all orientation sessions each summer
- Launching an anonymous TIPS line (244-TIPS) for reporting suspicious or unusual activity or persons
- Launching the “See Something, Say Something” Campaign to encourage all in our community to be aware of their surroundings and to immediately report any suspicious or unusual activity or persons
We review all campus safety protocols regularly and will continue to fine-tune these protocols to keep everyone in our community safe.
The “See Something, Say Something” Campaign highlights one of the most important actions we can all take to keep campus safe—if you see anything suspicious or concerning on campus, say something by immediately calling the MSJ Police Department at 244-4226 (or dial 0 from any campus phone). You, as members of our community, are in the best position to know when something does not seem right. Please, always err on the side of reporting. If a report is made and the investigation confirms that there is no safety concern, that is exactly what should happen. Please click on the following link for a “See Something, Say Something” refresher: See Something, Say Something - A Message from Campus Police.
As always, the MSJ Police Department is available to answer any of your safety questions or to address any concerns. Thank you for all you do to help keep our Mount community safe.
Sincerely,
Kevin Koo, Chief of Police