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Editorial: Security enhancement act a positive step for Eastern
Issue date: 1/13/09 Section: Opinions
For many Eastern students, the shootings at Northern Illinois University last February hit far too close to home. Many of us had friends and family affected by the tragedy. Some of us may have even attended Northern prior to attending Eastern.
Illinois lawmakers expressed similar sentiments with those affected by the event at Northern - and other events such as the Virginia Tech shootings in April 2007 - last week when the Campus Security Enhancement Act went into effect.
The law requires all Illinois universities to cooperate with local emergency response and mental health authorities in the event of any cataclysmic event. The law also requires Illinois universities to implement up-to-date emergency response procedures as well as planning and practicing such procedures annually.
According to Dan Nadler, vice president for student affairs, Eastern has frequently updated its emergency response policy since the Northern shootings.
One of these updates included Alert EIU, a text messaging service that would send bulletins to subscribers' phones in the event of a campus-wide emergency.
Alert EIU was adopted as a direct result of the Northern shootings and bridged a gap between students and emergency response teams.
For example, in the time it may take for a response team to reach students, the number of victims could dramatically increase, as was evident in the Virginia Tech shootings.
While it is a revolutionary step in security enhancement, there are some inherent flaws in Alert EIU.
Some students who do not have text messaging or do not own a cell phone at all would not be included in the service and would therefore be left unaware of any emergency situation that may arise.
Also, most professors require students to leave their phones on silent, which leaves students and faculty oblivious to incoming messages.
Of course, Alert EIU is a good starting point, but the Campus Security Enhancement Act enhances and builds upon the policies and procedures previously set in place by Eastern.
Whereas campus emergencies were previously handled by the University Police Department, now Charleston police are not only allowed but also required to cooperate with campus police. This means two departments tackling an emergency at the same time, sharing the burden rather than putting it all on one force.
By passing the Campus Security Enhancement Act, the Illinois legislature has shown it is taking the proper steps along with Illinois universities to create a safe environment for students and to prevent future tragedies from occurring. State lawmakers, as well as Eastern administration, should be applauded for their efforts to uphold campus security.
The editorial is the majority opinion of The DEN editorial board. Reach the opinions editor at: DENopinions@gmail.com.
Illinois lawmakers expressed similar sentiments with those affected by the event at Northern - and other events such as the Virginia Tech shootings in April 2007 - last week when the Campus Security Enhancement Act went into effect.
The law requires all Illinois universities to cooperate with local emergency response and mental health authorities in the event of any cataclysmic event. The law also requires Illinois universities to implement up-to-date emergency response procedures as well as planning and practicing such procedures annually.
According to Dan Nadler, vice president for student affairs, Eastern has frequently updated its emergency response policy since the Northern shootings.
One of these updates included Alert EIU, a text messaging service that would send bulletins to subscribers' phones in the event of a campus-wide emergency.
Alert EIU was adopted as a direct result of the Northern shootings and bridged a gap between students and emergency response teams.
For example, in the time it may take for a response team to reach students, the number of victims could dramatically increase, as was evident in the Virginia Tech shootings.
While it is a revolutionary step in security enhancement, there are some inherent flaws in Alert EIU.
Some students who do not have text messaging or do not own a cell phone at all would not be included in the service and would therefore be left unaware of any emergency situation that may arise.
Also, most professors require students to leave their phones on silent, which leaves students and faculty oblivious to incoming messages.
Of course, Alert EIU is a good starting point, but the Campus Security Enhancement Act enhances and builds upon the policies and procedures previously set in place by Eastern.
Whereas campus emergencies were previously handled by the University Police Department, now Charleston police are not only allowed but also required to cooperate with campus police. This means two departments tackling an emergency at the same time, sharing the burden rather than putting it all on one force.
By passing the Campus Security Enhancement Act, the Illinois legislature has shown it is taking the proper steps along with Illinois universities to create a safe environment for students and to prevent future tragedies from occurring. State lawmakers, as well as Eastern administration, should be applauded for their efforts to uphold campus security.
The editorial is the majority opinion of The DEN editorial board. Reach the opinions editor at: DENopinions@gmail.com.
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