Safety quickly hot topic at two local universities
Ventura Star 4/17/07
Like people across the country, she was shocked to learn that more than 30 people, many of them students, had been killed at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
But that didn't mean she was any more worried about her own safety on campus.
"We feel like we're invincible here," Paguaga said. "I think everyone sits here thinking it will never happen to us. I'm sure that's what they (Virginia Tech students) were thinking, too.
"I probably should call my mom."
Locally, the private Thousands Oaks university has never had a shooting. But CSU Channel Islands has.
In January 2005, a campus police officer shot a 17-year-old in campus housing after a struggle. The teenager, whose injuries were not life-threatening, was not a student at the Camarillo university.
Both CLU and Channel Islands have police or safety officers on campus. They also have emergency plans, which they practice regularly, that cover incidents ranging from an earthquake to a gunman.
Both schools also don't allow guns on campus. Still, they can't stop every potential danger, said Klay Peterson, director of safety and security at CLU.
"When these emergency situations crop up, they don't always unfold by the book," Peterson said. "They're so unpredictable."
Justin Stein, a senior at Channel Islands, understands that. That's why he wouldn't trade his freedoms for more security on campus.
"I'm a believer in our freedoms," Stein said. "I'm not going to give up our freedoms over a few incidents. It's people who go crazy."
Channel Islands has its own police department. Its 15 officers regularly train for dealing with a shooter on campus, said John Reid, chief of police.
"Our policy is: Contain it, stop it, investigate it," Reid said.
"We'll do whatever it takes to stop it, so no one else gets hurt. The unfortunate thing is that, in these types of situations, something bad's going to happen before you get it stopped."
Unlike Channel Islands, CLU does not have police officers on campus. Its 10 safety officers don't carry guns, and they rely on local police and sheriff's deputies to work with them in emergencies.
The schools' emergency plans include e-mailing students, telling them what's happening and what they should do. CLU safety officers also can shut down residence halls from their office.
But both schools also try to spot trouble before it becomes an emergency. Resident advisers and professors are on the lookout for students who seem to be experiencing more than the usual anxieties that come with the college years.
"People are not afraid to speak up and say, 'So-and-so needs help,' " Peterson said.
For students and others who do need help, both campuses offer counseling centers.
Neither campus had any immediate plans to make changes to emergency procedures after Monday's tragedy, Peterson and Reid said.
Still, Peterson sent an e-mail Monday to CLU students, faculty and staff members urging them to maintain their guard.
"While we enjoy a caring, engaged community, we must not let our guards down and continue to report suspicious or unusual activity in or around campus," Peterson wrote.