Message from the Chancellor: Resources & support as we mourn with MSU

Publish Date

2023-02-14

2.14.23

Dear Students, Faculty and Staff —

I am certain that last night’s deadly mass shooting on the Michigan State University campus is weighing heavily on the hearts and minds of our UIS community. I join my colleagues from throughout higher education in expressing my deepest sympathy to the MSU students, faculty and staff, and especially to the victims’ loved ones.

In light of this tragedy, the Chancellor’s Cabinet took time today to discuss our university’s active-shooter response plan, and I want to be sure everyone at UIS is aware of the training resources available to students, faculty and staff to be properly informed, should the unthinkable happen.

The UIS Police department has a dedicated webpage with information about responding to an active shooter situation. Please review this page and spend time reading the Active Shooter Event Quick Reference Guide and watching the related video. Additionally, be sure you are signed up for the UIS Emergency Notification System, which the UIS Police uses to notify the campus community of emergencies.

Recently, UIS Police announced an upcoming training class on ways to minimize risk during an active shooter/active threat incident. The class will be at 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 17, in Brookens Auditorium. These classes help you prepare for an active shooter incident and provide a forum to ask questions so you may become better educated on the actions that you can take to stay safe during this type of critical incident. If you are unable to make that date or retain a seat, please contact Lt. Justin Emmons at 206-6690 to arrange an alternate date and time for a private training session for you and/or your unit. You can also send an email request to uispolice@uis.edu. The Police are open to providing training to campus in large or small venues, day or night.

While I hope a tragedy like what MSU has experienced never occurs at UIS, we must be prepared for responding to emergencies of all kinds, as well as work to prevent them. I hope these resources are helpful, and please remember that it is always OK to report suspicious activity. You can contact UIS Police directly for emergency concerns, or use our Employee of Concern and Student of Concern reporting forms for non-emergency issues.

Additionally, if you need support, the following resources are available: