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Governor Gregoire targets campus safety in her 2008 supplemental budget proposal

For Immediate Release: December 11, 2007

$14.3 million in targeted investments would benefit state�s colleges, universities

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire today proposed investing $14.3 million to improve the safety of students, faculty and staff on the state�s college and university campuses.

�One thing parents shouldn�t have to worry about is the safety of their children while they attend college,� Gov. Gregoire said. �But in the past year, we have been reminded that our campuses are not immune from violence.� She noted the mass shooting at Virginia Tech University last April, and the shooting death the same month of a University of Washington employee by a stalking ex-boyfriend.

The governor�s 2008 supplemental budget proposal will include $14.3 million for instant warning systems on campuses, community notification systems, assistance for first responders, redundant communication systems and access-control and shutdown mechanisms.

As part of her initiative on campus safety, Gov. Gregoire also will introduce legislation to direct each state college and university to update its campus plans for emergency preparedness and response procedures and provide this information to students, faculty and staff.

Gov. Gregoire will release her full supplemental budget proposal Dec. 18.

Earlier this year, the governor asked each state college and university to review its resources and emergency plans, and to identify weaknesses in its ability to prevent or respond to campus emergencies.

�There is no one-size-fits-all response to campus safety. Each campus has different physical characteristics and safety concerns,� she said. �However, several consistent themes emerged from the state and national reviews of campus safety. My budget will focus on those areas.�

The governor�s supplemental budget proposal includes:

  • $8 million for instant warning systems. The governor�s investments will ensure that all state college and university campuses have updated and reliable warning systems.
  • $2.85 million for community notification. The governor�s investments will help improve systems at the UW, The Evergreen State College, Western Washington University, and the community and technical colleges so that students and staff can get warnings via e-mail, text messaging and web alerts.
  • $2.2 million for facility mapping and security cameras for first responders. Community and technical colleges, and The Evergreen State College, will complete full facilities mapping, giving responders detailed maps of each floor in each building on campus. In addition, Eastern Washington University will purchase security cameras that transmit pictures wireless to monitors in campus police vehicles.
  • $395,000 for redundant communications. The governor�s investments will enable the UW and WSU to install outdoor alarms and speakers to direct students to safety and allow for the orderly movement of people off campus or back to the classroom.
  • $829,000 for access control and shutdown. The Evergreen State College will upgrade its network to allow for the centralized, classroom-by-classroom lockdown on campus. WSU will install key-card access control at each door in selected buildings. The UW will enable emergency ventilation shut-off for each building.


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