John B. Simpson Addresses Campus Safety at the University at Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- University at Buffalo President John B. Simpson today issued the following statement addressing campus safety at UB in the wake of the shootings yesterday at Virginia Tech:

"In the days ahead, our campus community will continue to reflect on the tragedy at Virginia Tech. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of Monday's shootings, their families and the entire Virginia Tech community, as well as to those who have ties to that university.

Yesterday's shootings are a stark reminder that our world can be a violent place. Sadly, institutions of higher education are not immune from this violence when individuals are determined to harm others.

But I would like to assure students, parents, faculty and staff that the University at Buffalo places the highest priority on making our campus a safe place to study, live and work. Some of you will have questions about the ways that the University at Buffalo has prepared for such an unlikely event on our campus.

The responsibility for making UB a safe place lies foremost with the university administration and campus police, but also with each individual member of the community. Together, we have responsibility for making our campuses both open places, as well as secure places for all members of the community and visitors alike.

All UB residence halls and apartments are accessible only by swipe card from evening until morning hours.  Further, all incoming students and students living in residence halls and apartments are instructed on safety procedures for doors, and are asked to report any suspicious behavior via our campus emergency phone numbers, 645-2222 and 829-2222.

UB has emergency plans in place for acts of violence on campus. And while what happened at Virginia Tech appears to be an isolated incident, like every university across the country, we will be reviewing these plans and looking for areas to strengthen them further.

While the university works closely with law enforcement agencies at the local, state and federal level, the lynchpin in our emergency plans is the UB Police Department and its 61 police officers, many of whom have specialized training as first responders to events such as those that occurred yesterday.

In such instances, UB's officers would be the first responders. The Town of Amherst Police Department and the Buffalo Police Department, with which the university has memorandums of understanding, also would be called in for assistance in such a situation.

I would be remiss not to note that there are steps we all must take to ensure personal safety and maintain our campus community as a safe environment. As individuals, we should not place ourselves in dangerous situations, and we should always be acutely aware of our surroundings.

Any suspicious behavior should be reported immediately to the UB Police Department at 645-2222 or 829-2222 or by using blue-light phones located at key locations on the North and South campuses. For specific building and office security tips, see the Police Department's Web site at http://www.public-safety.buffalo.edu/campustips.shtml."

Again, the tragedy at Virginia Tech touches all of us, and in the days ahead I will continue to communicate with you on matters related to it.