UNC to launch online survey for feedback on school's response to deadly on-campus shooting
Nearly two weeks after the deadly shooting at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the university is asking what it can do to keep students and staff safe if another tragedy strikes.
During a meeting Friday, University Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz said UNC will be launching an online survey this coming week.
The university is hoping to get feedback from the campus community on the shooting response -- and address concerns raised in the days after.
"I know that not everyone felt as prepared as they may have wanted to," Guskiewicz said.
Guskiewicz did praise the university's response to the shooting, especially the efforts of faculty to protect students during the hours-long lockdown.
He said the university requires active shooter training for "many new members" but said training is not currently required for all faculty and staff.
"We will assess whether more required trainings should be considered," he said "And we'll want to hear your thoughts on this."
Guskiewicz said the online portal will be activated by next Wednesday.
"I believe that we all have an important role to play in keeping our campus safe," he said.
At the meeting, he highlighted three areas the school needs to address.
"I think that there are three areas that seem particularly important," Guskiewicz said.
- How do we improve those initial actions that we take in such a situation?
- What can we do to secure our physical spaces better?
- What are the root causes that lead to something like what we experienced last week that we can address as a campus community?
During the meeting, UNC's faculty also unanimously approved a resolution honoring Dr. Zijie Yen, who was killed in the shooting.
Faculty raises concerns after deadly shooting
Francesca Dillman Carpentier from the journalism school spoke on behalf of journalism and media faculty. She brought up a question about the legality of professors requiring students to stay in the room during a lockdown.
"We did have some reports of students... exiting long before they were supposed to," Guskiewicz said. "And I don't know what the sort of legal ramifications are, but we'll look at it."
Allison Schlobohm from the business school said she has an international student from China who said she's been seeing a lot of hate online and now feels unsafe at the school.
"And I'm wondering if we have a response planned as a university or how we're going to address this extra fear of students who are scared to show up because of things that might be headed their way still," Schlobohm said.
Guskiewicz said this is something the university is concerned about and working to address.
"I think that that is certainly a concern of ours," Guskiewicz said.
Kevin Stewart, from the Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences department, said it would be helpful to have alerts that include the location of where the incident is taking place.
"I know on the FBI website when they talk about active shooters, they describe run, hide and fight," Stewart said. "And to choose one of those options, one of the most important criteria is proximity."
"And so knowing how far away you are from the incident can inform what you should do after receiving that alert."
