"Missouri Task Force Recommends How to Make College Campuses Safer"

Kansas City Star (08/21/07) ; Wagar, Kit

Missouri's Campus Security Task Force has released a set of 33 guidelines designed to make the state's college campuses safer. The task force, formed in the wake of April's shootings at Virginia Tech, recommends creating a "culture of preparedness" by coordinating response plans with local police and fire departments. The guidelines also say that schools should train faculty, staff, and students on what they should do in the case of an emergency. Although the report describes Missouri colleges as safe, it also shows that while 86 percent of the schools have an emergency plan, less than 30 percent have coordinated with local police and fire departments. About two-thirds of the schools have a system in place for identifying and managing troubled students, but just 40 percent of the schools participate with nationally accredited crisis training programs. The report also suggests that colleges expand counseling services and train staff on how to assess students that could present a threat. Many of the recommendations in the report could be addressed by colleges for a low cost, especially considering the increased state funding that they should receive in the next three years.(go to web site)