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At ISU meeting, NIU president discusses tragedy
By Michele Steinbacher
msteinbacher@pantagraph.com
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NORMAL — Northern Illinois University’s president said Tuesday that NIU had planned and drilled for disasters, and that helped the DeKalb campus deal with the Feb. 14 shooting that left six people dead and 18 others injured.

“NIU was as prepared as any university could have been for the events of Feb. 14,” NIU President John Peters told the Illinois Board of Higher Education during a two-hour discussion of campus security.

The board’s meeting Tuesday at Illinois State University’s Bone Student Center in Normal was its first since the shooting incident. Much of the time was devoted to reviewing a newly issued report on a yearlong study of campus safety issues.

Peters said a flood and a serious vandalism incident earlier in the school year had provided opportunities for emergency disaster drills.

The president, who paused during his presentation to catch his breath while remembering the students who died, said emergency response plans were in place that day. Campus security officers had medical training, and a communication system was in place to notify the campus community and emergency responders of danger, he said.

Still, there are always lessons to be learned and room for improvement, he said.

“We are learning everything we can, as quickly as we can,” he said.

While police continue to investigate the shooter’s motive, the campus is working to learn how it can improve safety.

In particular, he said he’s learned the real dollar costs of trying to better equip a campus with safety measures, including putting medical kits into buildings, duplicating communication alert systems and providing additional training.

On Feb. 14, a former NIU graduate student fired a shotgun and two handguns at students in a lecture hall in Cole Hall, killing five students and wounding 18 others before killing himself.

The tragedy didn’t last just that one day, Peters said.

“We have learned that healing is a long journey and not a single destination. And it is different for every person,” he said.

The audience stood and applauded Peters after his talk.

The board devoted nearly two hours to discussion of campus safety. Most of that time was spent listening to the findings of a yearlong study about how to safeguard campuses.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich had created the task force in April 2007 following an attack that left 33 people, including the gunman, dead at Virginia Tech.

“Obviously, you can’t always identify in advance” whether a particular individual could pose a threat, board Chairwoman Carrie Hightman said.

But the task force has provided an invaluable resource in providing a game plan for minimizing the danger, she said.

The final report, which includes lessons drawn from the NIU shootings, is expected to be released next month.

Hightman said information about the task force findings and new legislation regarding mental health issues and privacy will be available on the board’s Web site, www.ibhe.org.

Take a look
The Illinois Board of Higher Education special briefing on campus security was held Tuesday at the Bone Student Center, Illinois State University in Normal. IBHE board member Lucy Sloan of Carbondale, along with Illinois State University President Al Bowman, left, speak with Northern Illinois University president John G. Peters, right, and Northeastern Illinois University President Sharon K. Hahs, prior to the start of the meeting. The Pantagraph/STEVE SMEDLEY
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Reader comments on this story - 2 total

Note: All views and opinions expressed in reader comments are solely those of the individual submitting the comment, and not those of the Pantagraph or its staff.

isuredbird wrote on Apr 2, 2008 10:36 AM:

" The ISU PD is pretty pathetic. They all walk around with a chip on their shoulder because they feel that none of the local departments (B/N) respect them. The fact of the matter is, they don't. And neither do the students. I would like to see a detailed report about how the department's resources are allocated and how they determine how their officers are utilized. "

New Nana wrote on Apr 2, 2008 8:46 AM:

" At least NIU had a plan. ISU has been in the "PLANNING" stages for many years. ISU does not even have enough officers to cover their shifts now, without causing mandatory OT, let alone, enough to handle a disaster. Come on Chief Swan, lets get on the "Planning Committee" and get the ball rolling, instead of allowing some your officers to play on the Internet all day!!! "
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