This is insane...Lori gets these emails from Gee through the law school listserv, and forwarded this to me...

From: gordon.gee@vanderbilt.edu
Reply-To: gordon.gee@vanderbilt.edu
To: vanderbilt-students@list.vanderbilt.edu
Subject: Urgent Message from Chancellor Gee
Date: Sun, 25 Sep 2005 20:15:15 -0500
vanderbilt-students

From: gordon.gee@vanderbilt.edu

September 25, 2005

Dear Students,

I am writing tonight about a very serious matter.

Earlier today, you received a Security Alert regarding a shooting in the Morgan House residence hall. Although the incident is still under investigation by Metro Police and VUPD, we can share with you the latest information.

At approximately 2:00 a.m., a female Vanderbilt student brought several non-student individuals into Morgan to attend a party onthe 10th floor.

These individuals were asked to leave the party after they made a disturbance. When the non-student individuals, and the Vanderbilt student, got on the elevator on the 10th floor, two of the individuals--both men--pulled out handguns and fired several shots into the hallway, hitting a male Vanderbilt student in the arm. The assailants--along with the female Vanderbilt student--then rode the elevator to the ground floor and fled the building. In addition to the student who received the gunshot wound, two other students received minor injuries in the ensuing confusion. All three were treated and released by Vanderbilt Hospital, and each is expected to make a full recovery, for which we are very grateful. VUPD responded immediately to the incident and--along with Metro Police--are conducting an active investigation. We expect that those responsible will be identified and prosecuted.

We are confident that this incident--as horrifying as it is--represents a very unusual occurrence. However, as you know, campus safety has been an issue of intense discussion in recent weeks. Working together, we have made great progress in educating and informing students about the programs and services that are in place to ensure the security of our University community. Every residence hall has card readers to limit access to students and residents. Vanderbilt has a large and well-trained police force that patrols the campus 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and there have been increased foot patrols and bike patrols in recent weeks. Security cameras are installed in many locations on campus, including a number of elevators, and have been particularly helpful in the investigation of this incident. Student Life staff are holding meetings in the residence halls to give students an opportunity to discuss the recent incidents with VUPD officers, and student leaders held a town hall meeting to talk about campus safety. Staff and students have conducted a review of lighting in the Greek Row area and have identified dark areas to which additional lighting is being added. Five additional Blue Light Emergency Phones have been added in locations across the campus, including the Greek Row area. We have also added another van to the Vandy Vans escort system to provide an increased number of campus escorts.

Together with continuous education and information about personal security, all of these measures help create one of the safest college environments in the region, if not in the country. But there is one element of campus security that requires the cooperation, participation, and vigilance of every student: responsibility for guests that are brought to campus. In this morning's incident, security cameras indicate that the assailants were let into Morgan and accompanied to the party by a Vanderbilt student. This was not a random shooting or "home invasion." Rather, the perpetrators were given access to our campus by a current student.

We pride ourselves on being part of an open community that values constant interaction to the extent that it is neither realistic nor desirable to create unwieldy barriers. At the same time, we must ensure that our University remains safe, and that every member of our community understands his or her responsibilities and rights. For these reasons, I am appointing a special Task Force of students, administrators, and security specialists to review campus security, with a special emphasis on our policies and procedures for access to residence halls and other student areas. The members of this Task Force will be announced tomorrow (Monday, September 26). I will direct the Task Force to provide an immediate analysis of both our current procedures and the mechanisms for enforcement, and to make recommendations for changes that will address our twin imperatives of openness and safety. I expect this process to take weeks, not months, and for there to be vigorous and informed discussion among students about the alternatives, which will then be presented to the University community for implementation.

There is no question that the safety of our students, faculty, staff, patients, and visitors is our highest priority. Incidents such as the one that occurred in Morgan House remind us that senseless violence can occur in even the most protected and comfortable environments, surrounded by friends and colleagues. We must work together as a community to prevent a recurrence.

I am making a personal pledge to you--our students--that I work tirelessly to ensure our campus remains one of the safest.

Cordially,

Gordon Gee