Message from the Chancellor
Regarding Shooting at Virginia Tech

April 16, 2007

By Marye Anne Fox

All members of the UC San Diego community extend our deepest sympathy to the students, faculty, staff and families of Virginia Tech following the deadliest school attack in U.S. history. A college campus is to be a haven for students to learn and prepare for full lives ahead. How tragic that our colleagues at Virginia Tech must struggle with the most horrific of events imaginable.

Earlier today, I sent a letter to Virginia Tech President Charles Steger expressing our profound sadness - a sentiment shared by higher education institutions across the country.

The tragedy at Virginia Tech is every campus’s worst fear. Although this is not the type of event that you can ever be ready for, I want to assure you that UC San Diego has developed emergency response plans if we were to face a similar crisis. Our Business Affairs, Emergency Response, and Police Services units conduct frequent and detailed exercises to prepare them to respond effectively to crises and catastrophes. UC San Diego prioritizes the safety of students, faculty, and staff, and Emergency Services and Campus Police see this as their primary responsibility. Campus leaders are continually thinking about and planning for possible threats to the safety of our community, and we work very closely with local, regional, state and federal agencies to prepare for, and respond to, emergencies. We conduct numerous exercises to coordinate our campus response with police, fire, hazardous materials and medical teams in the San Diego area.

I know you join me in sending our most heartfelt sympathy to those affected by this tragedy.