Category: news

Assessing Virginia Tech’s response and text messaging as a crisis communications tool

Karine Joly points to an Inside Higher Ed article evaluating Virginia Tech’s response to the massacre as it unfolded on Monday, April 16. The article covers some by-now-familiar ground and points to the emerging trend in getting the word out to the masses: text messaging.

[T]he one medium that the university could not take advantage of was also the one that most experts cited as being the most useful: text messages. While not a major component of most universities’ crisis strategies at the moment, the messages are beginning to take hold.

A lot of universities (ours included) have been talking about including text messaging as a means to get the word out to students and others during times of crisis. But so far it’s been mostly talk. One exception, according to the IHE article, is Montclair State University in New Jersey. There, students are required to have a cell phone and service that are compatible with the campus’ network. “We’ve made some deliberate decisions about it, and that is that we’ll only use it for emergency reasons,” said Karen Pennington, the vice president of student development and campus life.

Virginia Tech student blogs about shootings

A Virginia Tech student named Bryce has been covering the shootings on that campus on his LiveJournal blog, and has come under the harsh glare of the media spotlight. He posted his first account, Safe and rather scared, at 10:48 a.m. Monday.

My friends and I got out of class at about 9:50. Walked across campus. The wind blew with flurries about. Sirens were in the distance and I saw an undercover cop car go about 80 down one of the drives. That was odd. In front one of the dorms, West AJ, were several police cars, lights off and parked. We started talking about how there are always situations that cops rush across campus for and we never hear about.

Then several people walked by and told us there was a shooting and campus was closed. No one is allowed to cross the drillfield. Hmm. We went ahead to eat some food as cops were stationed in front, checking ID for everyone. I walked with my friend to his dorm to get his stuff as an omniscient announcement echoed across campus:

“This is an emergency. This is an emergency. Take shelter in doors immediately. Stay away from windows and remain inside.”

Right on cue, I heard several faint gunshots from across campus (the Burruss area) as more sirens blared. The announcement repeated as the campus emptied and police ran across campus. I saw snipers on the library. My friend and I went to our dorm as people yelled at windows telling us that classes were canceled.

When we got to our dorm no one was around outside. Looking out a window, we saw a SWAT member hide behind some stairs near one of the food courts, seemingly expecting a shooter to walk by. This meant they had no clue where he was, which is a scary realization. Some idiot ran into the food court and ran out with his food, and some Coke truck drivers ran into their car and sped out of the parking lot. A couple policemen ran into the adjacent hall with guns drawn, but came out a few minutes later and drove off.

His updates throughout the day and later reflections are part of the amazing mosaic of perspectives that is informing this tragic story.

As this blog has received international attention, I find myself wondering what the world has come to. The media watch dogs, no offense, have jumped on this story and on me for, as one anonymous user said, “exploit my emotions”. At this time I do not believe this is so, because to put it simply: I’m willing to share my experience. This is nothing special. I don’t deserve any credit. I went to class as any other student would. I just happened to be on the other side of campus when the shots were fired later in the day. But isn’t that just it? What is remarkable about this story is that this is the story of an average student at this great school. Stories of horror, bloodshed, and death are soon to come from the victims of this horrible catastrophe and the limelight will shine onwards, for that is what the public thirsts for.

Thanks to Technorati’s Glenda Bautista for the link.