The Johnsonian

Issue date: 2/19/08 Section: News

A student at Northern Illinois University is escorted from the scene Thursday after a gunman opened fire on a lecture hall, injuring 18 and killing five.

Classes are scheduled to reopen soon at Northern Illinois University, where a former graduate student, 27-year-old Steve Kazmierczak, opened fire on an ocean sciences class Thursday, killing five and injuring 18 before shooting himself at the scene.

When the news broke Thursday afternoon, students across the nation may have seen flashbacks from last spring's shootings at Virginia Tech.

Others may have seen a trend.

Officials at Winthrop are looking at creating new plans to make the campus safer, said Frank Zebedis, campus police chief.

So far, Winthrop has taken these steps by implementing the Short Message Service (SMS) system to notify students via text message as a situation develops.

Card-swiping devices have been added to many buildings on campus to protect students at Winthrop, and officials are busy installing the ALERTUS Emergency Notification System, which includes media tickers and sirens that will be used when situations arise. One unit has been installed so far, and 10 more will be delivered this week.

"When the final installation occurs, we will have 50 beacons located throughout buildings which will provide another form of notification of emergency situations to our students," Zebedis said.

Fast and consistent notification is important in keeping a campus safe, Zebedis said last semester, when the text messaging system was in its fetal stage.

He added that adapting and revising Winthrop's emergency plans came about when Virginia Tech began receiving criticism for the lengthy response time after the shootings occured.

At NIU last Thursday, police arrived within two minutes of the first gunshot. About five minutes later, the campus was ordered into a lockdown, John Peters, president at NIU, told the New York Times last week.

Within 20 minutes of the shooting, the university posted an alert on its Web site and through its e-mail system.

As far as school shootings are concerned, Abigail Thincannon, sophomore art major, said she feels pretty secure on campus.

"I'm more afraid of being run over by a car than a being hurt in a school shooting," she said.

But some students have little faith in the campus police department at Winthrop.

Elysica Batiste, sophomore biology major, said the card-swiping devices in residence halls make her feel "as safe as you can get," but it's a different story in other on-campus locations.

"When I need something, it takes Campus Police 10 years to show up," she said, "but when my car is in the wrong place, it takes them 10 seconds."

Campus police officers aren't the only ones responsible for keeping students safe.

The Critical Incident Management Team, made up of 16 members and chaired by Vice President for Student Life Frank Ardaiolo, meets monthly to discuss issues similar to the incident at NIU and last year's shooting at Virginia Tech.

Last semester, Chief Zebedis commented that the team is "walking… not running yet."

Aaron Greer, sophomore psychology major, said he feels the campus is small enough that, with people recognizing each other, it's less likely that there would be a shooting.

"I think the card-swiping is a good idea," he said, "and I do feel comfortable on campus."

Last fiscal year, safety additions in Winthrop's residence halls totaled $80,000 and included new cameras, card-swiping devices and lighting.


Nicole Smith, staff writer, contributed to this article.