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MU to Implement Changes to Emergency Responses

Sara Shahriari
/
KBIA

The University of Missouri plans to improve its response to emergencies on campus after Wednesday’s search for a woman with a gun. In an email Thursday evening, Vice Chancellor for Operation Gary Ward announced plans to help implement effective emergency procedures.

MU spokesman Christian Basi said immediate actions include allowing parents to receive text messages and email alerts from MU Alert, the emergency mass notification system. Basi also said that long-term actions include meeting with campus groups to gather feedback on safety concerns and evaluating safety training measures.

The Campus Safety Committee is one of seven campus groups to assist in the decision to make safety changes. Committee member Royce Barondes said the committee plans to hear the proposals and properly assess safety concerns.

“If there are ways in which this process can be improved which are practicable, I am hopeful that the university will adopt them,” Barondes said.

In response to the incident on Wednesday, Basi said that ultimately, the best outcome had occurred.

“We found the individual. She was safe, she had not harmed herself and she had not harmed anyone else,” Basi said.

He also said that the campus remained safe during the time of the incident and that it quickly resumed normal operations.

Basi said available trainings are the best way to prepare for emergency situations. He said that the university’s large campus means that there may not be just one procedure to follow.

“We saw several examples across campus where individuals made good decisions for their specific situation and kept everyone around them safe,” Basi said.

Basi says MU plans to introduce additional safety training to faculty and students in the future. 

In a press release, the Columbia Police Department said there was no indication that the female, who was reportedly suicidal, had any intentions on harming anyone else.