"Our campus community and the Valley need to know that safety is a top priority for all of us," said Adams State University President Beverlee J. McClure following last week’s shootings at Northern Arizona University and Texas Southern University, which resulted in one death at each campus. These came one week after another incident left ten dead at Umpqua Community College in Oregon. "We share in the grief experienced by those communities and extend our deepest sympathies," she added.
"This is a topic that concerns our President, our Governor, our Lt. Governor, and all of us who serve with colleges and universities," McClure said. Last Friday, she and four Adams State trustees, including the board chair, attended a workshop on campus safety as part of a conference for college and university presidents and boards.
"We know that having a campus police force versus just security officers helps, but it is also true that no amount of laws and regulations can prevent these senseless shootings," McClure pointed out. "Instead, it has to be a climate of safety created by students, faculty, and staff who report any signs of potential violence. This includes social media postings that are negative or threatening, comments made in a classroom or a hall, signs that a fellow worker is depressed and angry. In other words, at Adams State University, it takes the Grizzlies working together to create a safe environment."
In mid-August, the Adams State Police Department, SLV Health, and first responders conducted a mock mass-casualty drill to prepare for responding to potential events.
