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Virginia Tech shooting leads to important reminder for FAMU community
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Headline: Virginia Tech Shooting leaves dozens dead
FAMU: Be VIGILANT, be CONNECTED, be INFORMED
The gunfire that rang out at Virginia Tech on Monday reverberated across the nation. On the campus of Florida A&M University, students, administrators and law-enforcement officials agreed that the shooting that left as many as 32 dead was shocking and hard to understand. As many reflected on the deadly rampage, at least one FAMU official was also already looking forward; as the top law-enforcement officer, he has to, he said.
“What happened at Virginia Tech is really such a tragedy,” said Florida A&M University Police Chief Calvin Ross. “It is the type of thing that you can neither predict nor prevent. What we can do, as a university community, is to be connected and informed so that – in the event of such an emergency – we can take responsible, evasive action.”
Ross reminded the FAMU community that the new E2 emergency notification system is only as good as the connections that are made: In other words, people must sign up to receive notifications about such emergencies as the Virginia Tech event, natural disasters, acts of terrorism, etc. The system allows participants to receive instant notification on cellular telephones, pagers, I-pods and by email; it is augmented by an emergency notification tower that broadcasts security alerts across the campus . The emergency notification system, Ross said, was made possible by a federal grant.
“I think that the best defense is for the university community to be both vigilant and connected to the best information available to them at all times.
To sign up for the E2 notification for your email, cell phones, PDA devices and such, please click here.
