President McGuire Offers Prayers to Virginia Tech Community

President McGuire issued the following message to the Trinity Community.

Dear Students, Faculty, Staff and Friends in the Trinity Community,

The news from Blacksburg is stunning — today more than 30 people were killed by a lone gunman on the campus of Virginia Tech, and scores more wounded. Even as we wait to learn more about the shooter and whatever his motives might have been, our hearts go out to the victims and their families, as well as our colleagues at Virginia Tech. University President Charles Steger called it a tragedy of “monumental proportions.” We cannot begin to imagine the grief of the campus community.

In the days to come, as we learn more about what happened in Blacksburg, everyone in higher education will be studying this case closely to learn as much as we can about how to avoid such a horrific tragedy again. Of course, we’ve been through this examination before, but each new school shooting tragedy reminds us that we cannot take anything for granted when it comes to safety and security on campus.

Here at Trinity, we will be examining our campus security policies and processes as we consider the implications of the Virginia Tech tragedy. For the present, however, please keep these very straightforward points in mind to help everyone stay safe:

1. Wear and display your ID at all times, and cooperate with all campus security policies and directions.

2. If you see anyone acting suspiciously or strangely, please call the Public Safety Dispatcher at 9111 immediately and ask for help.

3. If you have any reason to believe that anyone has a weapon on campus — all weapons are strictly prohibited here — please call 9111 immediately and notify Security.

4. If anyone you know is making threats or having a hard time coping with a personal situation, please speak immediately with a member of the professional staff — we have a deeply committed group of deans, advisors and student services staff who are here to help you. No one should have to feel alone in coping with a problem, nor should anyone repress information that we may need to keep everyone safe.

Let’s express our solidarity with the students, faculty and staff of Virginia Tech by offering prayers for them. I will keep you informed as we learn any new information that may help the Trinity community deal with this sad situation.

Sincerely,

President Patricia McGuire