In the wake of the fatal shooting on campus in August, UNC students and staff say the university could have done a better job communicating information during the lockdown.
That’s the primary finding of an online survey conducted in the aftermath of the shooting by UNC’s department of Institutional Integrity and Risk Management. University officials released a summary of the results on December 4.
UNC received 3,362 responses in all, half of which came from individuals who were on campus during the lockdown on August 28. 36 percent of respondents were students, 27 percent were family members, 26 percent were UNC staff, and 9 percent were faculty members.
Much of the respondents’ feedback revolved around the Alert Carolina system, in keeping with criticism of that system which surfaced in the immediate aftermath of the incident. Respondents said the initial Alert Carolina message was useful, but further alerts could have been more frequent and less vague; notably, respondents asked for more detailed information about where incidents were taking place. (Alert Carolina messages on August 28 said only that the incident was occurring “on or near campus.”) More than 82 percent of respondents said the initial Alert Carolina text notification was useful, and 85 percent said the “all clear” notification was useful – but only 49.5 percent of respondents said the same about the Alert Carolina updates during the incident itself.
Respondents also asked for improved safety infrastructure, including building-specific emergency protocols and lockable doors for all campus rooms. Some also pointed out that UNC’s emergency sirens can only be heard outside, and asked that they be made audible inside campus buildings as well.
Respondents also said UNC should require more emergency training for faculty and staff, and clarify expectations for faculty about the proper protocol during emergencies. That’s also in keeping with some of the comments that came up on social media during the August incident, as some professors reportedly kept teaching their classes while the lockdown was ongoing.
The most common suggestions offered by respondents, as reported by UNC:
Alert Carolina updates
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- Send more frequent and detailed updates during the incident.
- Update the “on or near campus” language in the initial Alert Carolina because it was too vague.
- Provide information to parents on how they can get updates during the incident.
- Share more information on the location of the incident and impact as it evolves.
- Make sirens audible in classroom buildings.
- Continue to post the Alert Carolina on the classroom monitors because it was helpful.
Preparedness and training
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- Require emergency protocol trainings and drills, especially for faculty and staff.
- Confirm expectations for faculty about continuing instruction in person or online.
Safety infrastructure
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- Ensure all doors can be locked and/or windows can be covered.
- Create building-specific plans and emergency protocols.
- Assign trained department contact person to coordinate during an incident.
The survey was conducted between September 13-22, with students, faculty, staff, parents and families all invited to respond. (September 13 also happened to be the day UNC experienced a second lockdown, after an armed man started making threats at the Carolina Student Union.)
The incident in question happened on August 28, shortly after the beginning of the fall semester. Professor Zijie Yan was shot and killed in Caudill Laboratory, allegedly by graduate student Tailei Qi, who was one of Dr. Yan’s advisees. Qi faces first-degree murder charges, but has been declared temporarily mentally unfit to stand trial; he’s currently receiving treatment at a hospital in Butner.
UNC’s next step will be to contract an outside vendor to conduct a further review and make recommendations for future changes.
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I can’t be the only person who sees a connection between our “Hometown Hero” and the lack of response of the University to the need for active shooter training and emergency preparedness.