As we approach one year since St. Joe’s false shooter alert on the Hawk Hill campus March 30, 2023, we reflect on the “gap in our protocol” that Ross Radish, JD, vice president of Student Life and dean of students, outlined in an email to the St. Joe’s community the following day. This email came with promises to “eliminate that gap.” However, since then, students have received minimal updates about the university’s efforts to close this gap.
During the false report a year ago, both students and faculty were completely uninformed and unaware of the situation occurring inside Francis A. Drexel Library, especially those inside of the building who were provided with no information as to what was happening. Those outside of the building were equally as confused and scared, with no clear indication from the university that the campus was safe until 27 minutes after the emergency was reported.
As reported in “One year later: University begins to address gaps in communication since false shooter incident” in this issue of The Hawk, there has yet to be a transparent and clear university update in regard to the amended protocol since the false shooter alert.
There have been no on-campus active shooter drill programs for St. Joe’s students, nor have there been noticeable improvements in the responsiveness and accuracy of SJUSafe alerts, which are essential for ensuring people are aware of safety protocols and what to do in these situations.
It is crucial for the university to communicate changes in protocol to keep the St. Joe’s community as informed as possible. Being aware of new protocols ensures we are able to effectively prepare for such incidents and to react and respond appropriately if they were to occur.
While the university has taken steps to “eliminate” this “gap in our protocol,” such as retesting SJUSafe’s Emergency Notification System, and holding tabletop exercises for St. Joe’s faculty, staff and local law enforcement involving the scenario of an armed person on campus, this is not enough. What has been amended and improved by the university has not been clearly spelled out for the St. Joe’s community at large.
To remedy this, more concrete steps are necessary to implement in our procedures, like in-person drills and the installation of extra security measures. These steps will ensure complete clarity and safety for the entire St. Joe’s community and allow us to be prepared and aware in the case of such emergencies.
