Condolences and Campus Safety Update

Our heartfelt sympathy and prayers go out to the victims and survivors at Virginia Tech at this difficult time. Special prayers for the Virginia Tech community were offered at today’s Mass in our Christ the King Chapel.

There is no way to predict or avoid such a devastating tragedy, which can take place in even the safest communities. We want to assure you that Notre Dame College has placed the safety of our community as its highest priority. We have sound safety and emergency procedures in place. They are constantly updated, particularly when new situations, such as the tragedy at VT, occur.

Our new Director of Campus Safety, Mike Dugan, came to us with the highest qualifications. He is the former Chief of Police of Independence and former Captain with the Cleveland Police Department. He is leading the campus safety team in reviewing and updating our procedures. Additionally, we have a close relationship with the South Euclid Police Department which has led to a coordinated response effort among Campus Safety and the South Euclid Police, Fire and Medical units. Our own Campus Safety Department is planning a fire drill and SWAT team drill with the South Euclid Police Department in the near future.

Campus-wide communication is easier to achieve on a small campus such as ours than on a large state university campus. Our prompt notification procedures include phone, blast email, and personal notification in the residence halls. In addition, we are exploring new options through our campus telephone system.

For anyone finding it difficult to cope with the VT tragedy or any other traumatic life event, individual counseling is available by contacting Jane Ahern at ext. 5211 or jahern@ndc.edu.