February 15, 2008

Dear students, faculty and staff:

Like you, I am deeply saddened by the tragedy that occurred yesterday at Northern Illinois University.  On behalf of the Kutztown University family, I would like to express our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the victims, and our colleagues on the Northern Illinois campus.

This type of senseless violence is difficult to comprehend.  It can make us think about our own personal safety on campus and in other environments.  As I have shared before, we do have several measures in place at KU to assist with the safety and protection of the campus community. 

First and foremost, we have a university police department that is staffed by full-time, fully-trained, state-certified officers who receive continual training to respond to various incidents. We also have the ability to receive assistance from off-campus law enforcement in a moment’s notice.  In addition, we have an emergency operations team that meets regularly to ensure campus safety measures, and that is currently in the process of reviewing methods to complement our mass notification systems.  

Although existing measures are reassuring, safety and security must be a joint effort between the university and all members of the campus community.  No matter where we are, suspicious behaviors must be reported to the police. The best way to do this on campus is to dial Public Safety & Police Services direct at 610-683-4001.  This reporting method has proved extremely effective in helping our police diffuse potentially threatening situations on our campus in the past. When in doubt, please take precautionary measures and call the police immediately.

We should also be sensitive to the emotions of others in response to yesterday’s tragedy.  If you sense that someone is upset by these (or other) incidents, please urge them to seek assistance from counseling services or one of our ministry partners.

Sincerely,
F. Javier Cevallos
President