SCC Saddened by NIU Shooting

The Shawnee Community College family is extremely saddened to hear about Thursday afternoon's events at Northern Illinois University.

"It really hits home, that something so horrible can happen so close to us," SCC President Larry Peterson said. "You realize that it can happen anywhere. The entire education community is becoming too familiar with school shootings. This is a sad day for the entire country."

At SCC, President Peterson has requested a complete review of all campus security and safety procedures. While the college has been working diligently to become as prepared as possible, Peterson wants to make sure the college has not missed any details. Some work has already been completed, including updating the emergency plans by attending the Illinois Community College Homeland Security Emergency Preparedness Conference for the past three years to make sure the college is similar to other schools in the state. Several employees plan to attend the annual conference again this April. Included in the review of procedures, the president also plans to host several meetings on campus to allow input from all aspects of the college.

The campus continues to provide 24 hour security, as well as counseling services to any students or employees wishing to discuss the recent events. The college has placed a large emphasis on communication by purchasing several antennae to improve cellular service throughout the campus, and is looking at a text-messaging alert system.

Although the campus is attempting to become better prepared, these events are impossible to plan. "While we have all these systems in place, no one is untouchable with an event like this." Peterson said.