EAST LANSING (WWJ) – Michigan State University is taking action to make campus safer in the wake of last month’s mass shooting that killed three students and left five others injured.
University officials announced Wednesday the school will be focusing on four areas of safety improvement: building access, classroom and door locks, camera coverage expansion and mandatory training.
Interim MSU President Teresa Woodruff also said the school will seek bids for an external after-action review of the school’s response to the Feb. 13 shooting.
Starting March 13, most buildings on the East Lansing campus will require key card access by current students, faculty or staff members from 6 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. the next day. Accommodations will be made for public events that take place on campus.
The school plans to begin outfitting about 1,300 classrooms on campus with “an appropriate lock system that allows instructors to secure classrooms while maintaining building and fire code compliance and allowing first responders to enter the spaces in the event of an emergency.”
University leaders have identified the fall 2023 semester as the goal to have this measure in place. Other doors outside of classroom settings may also be considered for additional safety measures, officials said.
The university will also expand its camera network of more than 2,000 to include additional cameras throughout campus, including academic buildings and Green Light phones already on campus, “to provide adequate monitoring coverage.”
Simultaneously, MSU Police and Public Safety is proceeding with its project to centralize the oversight of all cameras and security systems, officials said.
While the university has voluntary active violence training available through MSU Police and Public Safety, it will begin requiring all students, faculty and staff to complete active violence intruder training starting this fall.
“The actions we are outlining today position us on a path to reclaim our sense of safety that was so violently taken away from our community,” Woodruff said, per a press release. “These steps will provide more robust security on campus while better preparing our community to respond in these unfortunate situations.”
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