After a Monday night shooting at Michigan State University killed three students and critically injured five others, the University of Maryland offered support and explained its preparations for emergency situations in a campuswide email Tuesday.
“When tragedies occur, it is also part of our shared humanity to think about what we can do. For many of us, we look for resources, and for action,” University President Darryll Pines and University Police Chief David Mitchell wrote in the email.
This university has an Emergency Operations Plan that covers active shooter situations and is continually being reviewed and updated, according to the email. Last week, members of the president’s Cabinet and this university’s police department participated in an active shooter tabletop exercise to “improve preparedness and response and to identify areas for improvement,” the email said.
The email also highlighted active shooter training and resources provided by UMPD. Officials urged divisions, departments and student groups to reach out to UMPD instructors to learn more about active shooter preparedness by emailing UMPDChief@umpd.umd.edu. Community members who are concerned about someone’s behavior can also make a report to the BETA (Behavior Evaluation and Threat Assessment) Team
The university urges students struggling with the aftermath of Monday’s “tragic and senseless act of violence” to reach out to the counseling center.
Pines and Mitchell also highlighted this university’s formation of the 120 Initiative, which brings together experts from 15 universities who aim to research solutions to gun violence. The initiative will host an event on March 1 at the National Building Museum, where gun violence researchers and experts will discuss solutions.
“We must be prepared, but we must also take action,” Pines and Mitchell wrote in the email.
