Starting Aug. 13, UF will become one of the first universities in the nation to take a step toward building a safer campus.
UF participated in the trial program of 32 National Campus Safety Initiative, an initiative funded by the VTV Family Foundation, victims and survivors of the Virginia Tech shooting in April 2007 where 32 people were shot and killed.
As a result, the VTV Family Foundation was founded and is now coming together to keep another shooting on campus from happening again.
The initiative is an online self-assessment survey that covers nine topics to help schools find out where additional resources can be added, said Jen Day Shaw, associate vice president and dean of students at UF.
You think about the families who lost their kids, sisters or brothers, Day Shaw said. They want to help increase campus safety so no family has to go through that ever again.
“You can’t tackle everything at once, but you can prioritize what you want to tackle first,” Day Shaw said. For UF, campus safety is a priority, she added.
The nine areas of concern are: alcohol and other drugs, campus public safety, emergency management, hazing, missing students, physical security, sexual violence, threat assessment and mental health.
“It’s a tremendous opportunity to advance campus safety,” said S. Daniel Carter, project director of the initiative. The series of 250 questions will be covered by the expert of each field.
An institution that participates in the programs shows it’s willing to take that step toward creating a safer place for students, Carter said.
A college’s or university’s participation is confidential, but schools can choose to announce their involvement, he added. UF, being one of the seven schools in the trial program, chose to be one of the first universities to launch the program.
“Campuses across the country are going to be safer,” Carter said, “and UF is leading the way.”
[A version of this story ran on page 5 on 8/3/15]
