President Shirley Ann Jackson delivered the keynote focusing on the task at hand of campus security and allowing for a moment of silence for those lost in the Virginia Tech tragedy.

“We are all touched by the deaths, but they are not the substance. The substance is the courage and caring of the community that we look to,” said Jackson. The aim is to provide an atmosphere of security without bias or discrimination but with focus and understanding.

The discussion following the speeches also provided clarification regarding the loss of an alumnus on March 29 of this year. The police response was deemed excellent by all standards, Director of Public Safety Jerry Mathews said, “In more than 30 years on the police force, I can assure you the response time for the 29th incident and any future event is excellent.”

Several issues have been worked out since March 29 regarding the safety of students, faculty, staff, and community members. Work on communication channels led by William Walker, vice president of Strategic Communications and External Relations, have been developed taking into consideration events both small and large in importance. Methods of communications such as reaching civilians with emails and cellular phones were included in the discussion.

Students also pointed out their concerns to the administrators present as well as to the Health Center, the Counseling Center, Chaplains, and the Campus Emergency Task Force lead by Jerry Mathews. Students were satisfied by the answers provided by the vice presidents and Jackson. “I feel pretty secure, you can’t do much more than we already have done,” said Chris Jones ’10.