Vassar responds to Virginia tragedy

Brian Farkas News Editor

The news of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) shootings hit home for many individuals on Vassar campus, some of whom have personal connections to the University and to the town of Blacksburg, Va.

Rachel Hite ’09 of Norfolk, Va. has many friends at Virginia Tech. “My friends from home and I spent all of Monday morning and afternoon tracking down our loved ones to make sure they’re safe. I’m so thankful that all of my friends from Tech are alive and healthy, but this is still such an incredible tragedy. It hits way too close for comfort.”

Beatrice Capestany ’09 is a resident of Alexandria, Va., about four hours away from the
Blacksburg campus. Many of her high school classmates attended Virginia Tech. Capestany attended a summer program at the University, where she felt that the environment was calm and safe. “The campus seems really large but incredibly safe and sort of set back from the rest of the town, so I’m sure everyone was completely taken aback by the events.”

Vassar Student Association President Abel McDonnell ’07 announced that a silent vigil would be held on the evening of Tuesday, April 17 on the lawn of the Chapel. In an e-mailed statement to the student body, McDonnell wrote, “Virginia Tech is holding a vigil at 8 p.m. in Blacksburg. To express our support for the VT community, we will be holding a simultaneous vigil.” After the event, McDonnell noted that “vigils are simple, yet moving and powerful events of communal grieving and I believe it was helpful for those who attended.”

President Catharine Bond Hill sent an e-mailed statement to the Vassar community on Monday afternoon, which read “Words fail us in the face of such a tragedy, but especially as members of another college community, we individually and collectively share in the pain and horror that so many on the Virginia campus are experiencing.” Hill made it clear that members of the Counseling, Residential Life, and Dean of Students Offices were available to speak with students who feel that they need support.

This astonishing and unforeseen incident raises some questions about the safety of Vassar’s own campus. According to Director of Security Donald Marsala, Vassar has never had an incident of gun violence on campus.

If the College were to experience a large-scale incident, an Emergency Response Group (ERG) would take the lead in coordinating safety. This group is co-chaired by Dean of the College Judy Jackson and Vice President for Finance and Administration Elizabeth Eismeier. The ERG has a wide membership that includes the offices of Buildings and Grounds, Campus Security, Health Services, and Residential Life, among others.

A smaller group known as the ERG Core coordinates the ERG at large. This Core meets regularly with local police and fire department officials to coordinate protocols. “So far, our group has dealt with some real but limited issues, such as power outages and storms, as well as a variety of hypothetical situations,” said Eismeier.

“Our team was clearly instructed to bring in the local police and their resources to deal with any situation involving someone with a gun or an actual shooting incident,” explained Eismeier.

Marsala agreed, saying, “Our first step would be to call in the local authorities.” The Campus Response Center would then notify Security, and the ERG would convene to decide on the most effective course of action.