Could it happen here?

That question was on the minds of numerous students, faculty and
staff at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford on Tuesday, a day
following the death of 32 people at the hands of a gunman during
the massacre at Virginia Tech.

According to Pitt-Bradford President Dr. Livingston Alexander,
the university is in the process of finalizing an emergency
response plan, aimed at dealing with such a tragedy, along with
natural disasters.

“Unfortunately, it does take tragic events to remind us that
these things occur just about everywhere,” Alexander said.
“Blacksburg, Va., is not a big city. It’s rural and an area you
wouldn’t expect something like this to occur in.

“It does raise our level of alertness and makes us aware that it
could just as well happen here.”

Ironically, Alexander said university officials are winding down
the process of putting together an emergency plan.

“We really are near a completion point,” Alexander said, adding
officials are still looking to gain feedback from various
individuals across the campus and from certain student groups.
Alexander cautioned the university already has an emergency
response plan that it can follow, which addresses the
organizational structure as it relates to any particular disaster,
violent activity or crisis.

Individuals have been identified by position who would “be
actively engaged in addressing various aspects of an emergency,”
according to Alexander. Meanwhile, a communication process would be
in place to ensure everyone was adequately informed of what was
occurring.

“We have been talking for quite some time about emergency
preparedness and ensuring everyone who needs to be involved is
aware of the responsibilities,” Alexander said.

Alexander said while it’s hard to talk specifically about
hypothetical situations, such as a similar scenario as what took
place at Virginia Tech, something at that level would immediately
call for a lock down situation to be put in place, and the campus
would be closed to those on the outside.

Alexander said Campus Police would be backed up by officers from
the City of Bradford, Bradford and Foster townships and the
Pennsylvania State Police.

“Within a matter of minutes enough people would be mobilized to
address any crisis that might develop on our campus,” Alexander
said, adding a lock down would essentially involve everybody
remaining in the building they are in and the campus being closed
off.

“Nobody would be allowed on campus and people would be asked to
remain in the safest possible situation until everything was under
control and the matter is resolved,” Alexander said.

While not at the magnitude of such a large, sprawling campus as
Virginia Tech, the number of students attending Pitt-Bradford has
grown over the past few years – with a record number living on
campus.

Asked about how this growth might impact security plans, with
more people to look after, Alexander said the university would
“never get to the point where it was unmanageable.”

“We have a very good, experienced staff and an army of residence
assistants that are trained to respond to various situations,”
Alexander said, adding the residence assistants are comprised of
upperclassmen that assist the housing directors on campus.

Alexander also said he’s very confident in the abilities of the
Campus Police to handle any crisis that might arise.

“They (Campus Police officers) do have experience working in
municipal departments before coming to campus,” Alexander said. “I
feel confident with back-up support, we would be well covered and
well equipped to address problems.”

For his part, Campus Police Chief Dan Songer said officers have
undergone training in the past to deal with a barricaded gunman or
shooting situation. Songer also said officers have to take
mandatory training through the state each year and have been
involved in McKean County Emergency Management Agency-sponsored
events dealing with such scenarios.

According to the university’s 2006 Security Policies and
Procedures guide, the campus has five full-time and 11 part-time
officers.

The university also has counseling services available for
students that are experiencing problems.

“We have a very alert faculty and staff that are available to
students,” Alexander said. “They (faculty) advise students to avail
themselves of counseling when they encounter difficulties or
problems they can’t handle.

“There are those resources here. That’s really one advantage of
being in a small college. You are not a number and everybody knows
you and there are support systems to deal with difficult
situations. We work very hard to create an environment that
provides support.”

Alexander said the university has place its flag at half-staff
as a symbol of Pitt-Bradford’s support and sympathy for the
students that lost their lives.