Hiring a full-time emergency manager and better addressing students' mental health and behavioral issues were included in a list of University safety needs in a draft report released Wednesday.
The more than 200-page draft states that ASU needs improved communication between groups and better security systems — including the possibility of a new door-locking system that is estimated to cost several million dollars.
Staff members began working on the report in October, which includes an analysis of six independent reports that reviewed the Virginia Tech shooting, group leader and vice president for University Administration and Legal Affairs Paul Ward said.
Currently, many of the recommendations in the report draft are already in place, Ward added. The final report is expected to be released later this semester.
It is unclear from the draft when recommendations could be implemented. The draft includes 11 campus safety categories with more than 40 recommendations.
Among other things, the draft recommends hiring a full-time emergency manager who would be in charge of training for an emergency scenario similar to the Virginia Tech shooting. In the event of such a situation, the manager would coordinate the response.
Ward said the emergency manager position would focus solely on preparing for worst-case scenarios and other emergencies.
"This would be a job where the primary focus is emergency preparedness," Ward said.
At present, ASU Assistant Chief of Police Allen Clark is in charge of operating the Emergency Operations Center — the department's command center for emergency management. Ward said the new position would "not necessarily remove duties from the police department."
The draft also calls into question the text-message alert system, used by ASU during the Nov. 1 Memorial Union fire.
"The committee is concerned that the current system will not deliver messages in a timely matter," the draft states.
Following the Nov. 1 Memorial Union fire, some students told The State Press it was 2 hours after the fire began before they received alerts.
The draft suggests possibly creating a position for a grant writer for ASU who would compete for state and federal funding for campus safety.
It further states that a common theme in its findings was a "lack of an organized and systematic system" for information sharing and understanding of vital information.
The draft pointed out that ASU has a "plethora" of groups that handle issues highlighted in many of the reports, but the groups work independently and do not allow for adequately shared information.
The draft report goes on to suggest the formation of a database to allow for all ASU campuses to access student behavioral and discipline issues, as well as training more faculty and staff about reporting threats of violence. The draft also recommends that a list be compiled of qualified forensic psychologists and psychiatrists for threat assessments of individuals, when necessary. According to the draft, it would cost about $80,000 annually for 12 to 15 such cases.
Ward said the estimates were made without looking at how the changes would be paid for.
The draft also recommends more funding for case managers to support mental health and other such counseling needs for the four ASU campuses.
About 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older suffer from at least one diagnosable mental health disorder each year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
ASU Police Cmdr. Jim Hardina, who chaired a portion of the report's working group, said in an e-mail that the department was working with Ward's group, but could not be reached for further comment.
University safety report overview
- Form an Emergency Manager Position to train for and coordinate responses for emergencies similar to the Virginia Tech shooting
- Explore hiring a grant writer to help ASU compete for state and federal funding for campus safety
- Upgrade existing fire panels so voice commands can be issued
- Commission a study to look into changing door-locking systems at an estimated "price tag of several million dollars"
- Provide training to more faculty about reporting threats of violence
- Create a database to be used at all four campuses for accessing student behavioral and discipline issues
- Create a brochure to inform the public about actions taken by ASU when a threat of violence is reported
- Examine student discipline procedures to ensure consistency in the process across the four campuses
Reach the reporter at: matt.culbertson@asu.edu.
