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By: Ian Essling
After the Virginia Tech tragedy last month, colleges across the nation have had to take a step back and look again at their security protocols and procedures.
Waubonsee, however, was already in the process of a security overhaul.
Insight recently sat down with David Quillen, Waubonsee Vice President of Campus Operations and Finance, and Public Safety Chief Joe Monstwillo, to discuss the safety of Waubonsee's campus, as well as future plans to make the environment of Waubonsee even safer.
If a safety issue were to develop on one of Waubonsee's campuses that was similar to the Virginia Tech shooting, Waubonsee's response would be somewhat different than how Virginia Tech reacted.
"Our first response is something that was really neglected at Virginia Tech, and that is to notify as many people as possible as to the location and type of incident that is occurring," Monstwillo explained.
He added that Waubonsee has been working on a variety of community notification strategies since before the VT tragedy. "Community notification is kind of a work in progress right now," he said.
Quillen elaborated on that, saying that there are currently several communication devices in place, including emergency call boxes. "We do have some things that are in place, [but] we are looking at enhancing those.as we expand into other projects, we're looking at modernizing, as well as expanding, the number of [call boxes]," he confirmed.
Quillen also stated that there would be "no limit" as to what would be done to keep students safe in the event of a security issue.
He explained that although responses would be "scenario specific," most options would "be on the table." These could include closing the campus, locking down buildings and many other related actions.
In that vein, both Monstwillo and Quillen encouraged anyone confronted with an emergency situation on campus to be proactive.
"I think it's important for the members of the WCC community to understand that they are all empowered to [call 911 in the event of an emergency.] They don't have to contact us and filter an emergency through the public safety department or through any other entity. We expect that if an emergency would develop, that time being of the essence, we would anticipate students to take the initiative to make that call," Monstwillo said.
He went on to say that he gives the students enough credit to understand when a situation is emergent and when it warrants a 911 response.
Calling 911 does not sidestep the WCC Public Safety Department, either; the 911 dispatch center can tie directly into the radios of Public Safety personnel and dispatch them to the scene of the incident immediately.
"Everyone here is a stakeholder in the safety of the community. People should make responsible decisions based upon that," Monstwillo added.
One situation that was brought to the forefront after the Virginia Tech shootings was the fact that Waubonsee police officers are currently not allowed by campus regulations to carry any sort of firearms.
Quillen explained that although he has only been at Waubonsee for roughly 14 months, nearly every meeting he has had with the President and the Board of Trustees has involved some sort of discussion on revamping the campus security protocols.
"[We] have been working to analyze some component, not strictly about armed or not armed, but a comprehensive review of the public safety function here," he explained, "Is it appropriately staffed? Is it appropriately equipped? Is it the appropriate size?"
Quillen pointed out that it's "not a one size fits all conclusion," because Waubonsee's Sugar Grove campus is a different environment than the Aurora campus, and the administration is also still working on the future of the Plano campus, as well as the current model of security in place at the Copley campus. "[Discussion regarding public safety officers carrying weapons] has been in process, and that will be a component piece for the Board of Trustees to consider," he said, "The public safety department can effectively do the majority of their job without [weapons,] but they cannot effectively do all of the things they are potentially called upon without them."
It is important for the community to understand that the security of the campus is something that is very "fluid and adaptable," as Monstwillo explained.
"I don't think you'd call it a science; it's almost an art," he stated, "One of the important aspects of security is remaining aware of and constantly assessing the number and variety of threats that are part of the environment."
He continued, "For us to say that a certain course of action is correct today may be inappropriate a month from now or six months from now, or certain decisions that were made years ago regarding the public safety function here at the college may or may not still be appropriate for today's environment, because you have to consider all the factors that have changed within that timeframe. Security is one of those areas where there are seldom hard fast answers that are chiseled in granite and will always be correct."
While changes may be made to the overall security policy, Monstwillo stated that they will not be made as "knee jerk responses" to the Virginia Tech slayings.
Rather, any changes will most likely be part of the ongoing improvement process in the area of campus security.
"The Virginia Tech incident did very little to change the way we do business, because the bottom line is it is something we do behind the scenes every day and it's something that we think about every day," Monstwillo continued, "After eight years of Federal service, [where] scenario planning was an important part, those 'what ifs; are always at the back of my mind whether I'm here or not here."
According to Quillen, the college takes these security concerns very seriously. "It's a serious circumstance, and the college takes it seriously," he said, "As always after events like this across the country, the reassessment [and] continuous improvement thought process goes into it. One [area] I definitely feel we can do better in is communication."
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