![A security guard checks a student’s bag at the U of W Sept. 25. Tight security continued for days as the campus faced a shooting threat. [Photo: Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press, Sept. 28, 2007, reproduced with permission]](/images/default-source/bulletin/a9web.jpg?sfvrsn=1 "A9web.jpg")
A security guard checks a student’s bag at the U of W Sept. 25. Tight security continued for days as the campus faced a shooting threat. [Photo: Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press, Sept. 28, 2007, reproduced with permission]
The University of Winnipeg has joined the growing ranks of institutions learning to cope with the spectre of gun violence in their hallways.
Police were called in to investigate after a spray-painted threat to “shoot this place up on September 26” was discovered Sept. 19 on a men’s washroom wall on campus.
“In terms of safety, they did what they could at the time,” said University of Winnipeg Faculty Association president Kristine Hansen, referring to swift reaction by university officials and police.
Although the threat was never acted upon, the week following its discovery was a tense one for staff and students as police maintained a strong presence and university officials instituted new security measures, including emailed warnings for “vigilance,” and the introduction of pop-up computer screen messages and instant voice-mailing for quick warning.
Attendance fell sharply on Sept. 26, and those who did show up faced long lineups and bag searches.
“People’s moods ranged from fear and concern, to thinking it was all patently ridiculous,” Hansen recalled.
Shawn Coates, director of communications and marketing for the university, told the Bulletin that authorities had judged the message a “legitimate threat” and the university is “trying to learn from the event and enhance preparedness.” The author of the message has not been found.
Hansen agreed that evaluating risk is difficult, but that faculty’s main concern in the wake of the turmoil is establishment of ground rules and parameters around use of security measures like searches and video surveillance.
“We’re still untangling the complexity of issues around the event,” she said. “Trying to balance civil rights with safety is an interesting idea. Frankly, I’m not sure it can be done.”
Preparedness became an issue after other emergency events such as the shooting rampages that occurred last September at Montreal’s Dawson College and more recently at Virginia Tech in the United States. In both those incidents, suicidal gunmen shot students and staff, killing one person at Dawson and 32 at Virginia.