The Cal State Long Beach Office of the Dean of Students sponsored a campus safety panel in response to the shootings at Virginia Tech. The panel was held in the University Student Union Tuesday afternoon.
Students and faculty were in attendance to voice their sympathies for those lost in Virginia, as well as their remarks about safety and security at CSULB.
“When I first heard about what happened over in Virginia, I was immediately sympathetic and concerned for the students of that campus, but my thoughts quickly turned to the safety of my fellow students here at CSULB,” said senior James Davis.
Scott Charmack, associate vice president of Physical Planning and Facilities Management, asked the panel what was being done to protect CSULB.
“It is pretty much impossible to lock down a campus of this size, but rest assured that the campus police are very much prepared to handle any threats to our campus,” said University Police Captain Stanley Skipworth.
Vamsi Man Davelli, a graduate computer science major, was asked how he felt about security on campus. Davelli said, “I work here on campus for ASI, and any time I have heard or seen a problem, the campus police are on the scene quickly, usually two to five minutes. This makes me feel very safe.”
Mike Hostetler, associate vice president of the dean of students, said he is proud to be a member of the team responsible for campus safety and in his many years of experience both here and on other campuses, he said he feels CSULB is at the forefront of emergency preparedness.
In addition to the emergency callboxes all over campus, which can connect users directly with University Police, Hostetler said he is currently looking into other forms of mass warning systems that can quickly be put into campuswide effect.
Cell phone text messaging systems were also mentioned, as well as a schoolwide public announcement system. As of now, nothing is in production for certain, Hostetler said.
Panel member Mary Ann Takemoto, director of Counseling and Psychological Services, spoke about the importance of remaining a community on such a large campus as a way to prevent people from feeling like outcasts.
“The best thing to do is always look out for each other, recognize when someone is feeling lonely and maybe reach out,” Takemoto said.
Takemoto also made references to the free campus mental health services, as well as crisis intervention and consultation services.
The Reverend Mary Kay Will of the University Interfaith Center said that as a freshman or sophomore on such a large campus like CSULB, it is easy to feel lost in the crowd.
“Before you become an upperclassman and start to get really involved with the fellow students in your major, I think it is important to find an organization or club with similar interests as yourself. This is an easy way to connect with others and not get sort of lost in the shuffle,” Will said.
