April 23, 2007

All of us at UC San Diego are deeply saddened by the tragedy at Virginia Tech and we extend our deepest sympathies to the university’s students, faculty, staff and community.  The outburst of violence shocked and horrified the world, and struck a deep chord for all of us on university campuses.  A college campus is supposed to be a haven for students to learn and prepare for full lives ahead.  The tragedy at Virginia Tech is every campus’ worst fear.  In a letter of condolence sent to Virginia Tech President Charles Steger on behalf of UC San Diego, I expressed our campus' profound sorrow and condolences.  Although this is not the type of event that you can ever be fully prepared for, I want to assure you that UC San Diego has developed numerous, comprehensive emergency response plans for a variety of crises.  The safety of our students, faculty and staff is our priority.

How Our Campus Plans and Prepares for an Emergency
We are continuously working to anticipate, practice and prepare for many kinds of scenarios that could threaten our campus community.  University personnel at all levels conduct frequent and detailed exercises and drills to help us respond effectively to crises and catastrophes. We work closely with local, regional, state and federal agencies to prepare for, and respond to, emergencies.  We conduct numerous exercises to coordinate our campus response with police, fire, hazardous materials and medical teams in the San Diego area.  For instance, last August the campus conducted a full-scale, scenario-based exercise involving campus responders, law enforcement, fire and emergency medical agencies from the city and county of San Diego. 
Since communication is such an important part of successful crisis planning and management, we practice and simulate how we will execute our communication plans and relay critical information to the campus community, law enforcement, the city and county, and the public through the media and other forms of technology. 

Mental Health Services Available to Students, Staff and Faculty
Due to the tragic events at Virginia Tech, many people may experience increased emotional turbulence and stress in their lives. Talking to a professional psychologist who is trained to help in difficult times like this can be beneficial.  UCSD has 15 Ph.D. counselors and five interns/post-doctoral students available to assist undergraduate, graduate and professional students with a variety of mental health concerns.  Counselors are located at each of the six Colleges and centrally at the Psychological and Counseling Services (P&CS) Center found on the bottom floor of CLICS.  Counselors are also available to provide consultation to faculty and staff.  To learn more about P&CS and its various resources and outreach efforts, click here.  For students who would prefer to talk to their peers, UCSD offers a Wellness Peer Education Program, a group of students trained in basic counseling skills, group facilitation, crisis management and ethics.  The group educates UCSD students about mental health and wellness.  Faculty and staff who require personal counseling can coordinate assistance through the Faculty and Staff Assistance Program (FSAP).  Services provided by FSAP are completely confidential.  For more information, click here.

A Special Town Hall Meeting to Address Emergency Preparedness
I encourage all students, faculty and staff to attend our special Town Hall meeting from noon to 1 p.m. Monday, April 30 in the Price Center Ballroom (B) where we’ll discuss our campus’s emergency preparedness plans.  This will be an opportunity for you to ask questions and interact with leaders from our Environmental Health & Safety, Student Health, and the UCSD Police Department.  We are currently in the process of evaluating our emergency response procedures, reviewing the lessons learned from the tragedy at Virginia Tech and applying those lessons to our campus.  It’s important that we hear from you to ensure that we are considering all opportunities for appropriate responses to the challenges that an emergency presents.  Shuttles will be provided for participants from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Thornton Hospital, and Hillcrest Medical Center who may want to attend. A live Webcast of the Chancellor's Town Hall will also be broadcast online.  You can access the Webcast by visiting UCSD News Center.

Helping to Heal the Wounds
So how do we move on from the deadliest school attack in U.S. history?  The tragedy at Virginia Tech will never be forgotten and it takes time for the wounds to begin to heal.  But there are things we can do.  We can remember and honor the lives of the victims.  We can support and encourage the survivors.  We can hug the people dearest to us and tell them we are grateful to have them in our lives.  We can draw lessons from the tragic events, and increase our communication with each other.  We can report suspicious behavior and activity.  Most of all, we can all continue to make safety our priority, by uniting and sharing our ideas and concerns, and working together to ensure that we have the safest campus environment possible.

                                                                        With warm regards,

                                                                        Marye Anne Fox
                                                                        Chancellor