(Image courtesy of the University of Texas)
By Rosemary Peters & Bruce Garlinghouse, Editor-in-Chief & Staff Writer respectively
Last Tuesday, a gunman turned the University of Texas Austin campus into a violent crime scene.
The gunman was 19 year-old Colton Tooley, a sophomore math major. According to UT's website, Tooley fired shots from an AK-47 in front of the Littlefield fountain and then ran to the library, where he took his own life.
Except for the gunman, there were no casualties in the UT shooting. According to UT's president, this was, in part, due to the UT safety alert system. UT students and faculty were informed about the danger on campus and urged to stay away from the school via e-mails and text messages.
In the event of a dangerous situation on the UP campus, the University of Portland has a similar alert system in place.
Students and staff would receive alerts via landlines, cell phones, emails and text messages from Public Safety, the Core Emergency Response Team (C.O.R.E) and University of Portland officers.
To receive alerts, students and staff must "opt in" by logging on to their PilotsUP and register for the service by entering their information into the UP Alert Info portal located on the main University community page.
