Response to End the Silence

Dear Campus Community,

I am writing to update you on the steps we have taken since the incident on Thursday, November 21, when there was a suspicious social media post and a false report of an active shooter on campus. Representatives from End the Silence and the senior College administration met on November 25 and December 2 to review the list of demands that End the Silence members developed concerning the administration’s response to the incident. For those who are unfamiliar, End the Silence is a grassroots student group that works to advocate for the holistic wellbeing of the SMC community, using the College's Lasallian principles as a benchmark for progress.

We also had the opportunity to meet in a public forum at the Associated Students meeting on November 24, and with representatives from the Academic Senate and the Staff Council this week. Five representatives of End the Silence, Provost Margaret Kasimatis, Vice Provost Megan Mustain, Vice Provost Jane Camarillo, Dean of Students Evette Castillo Clark, Chief of Campus Safety and Transportation Mark Nagel, and I participated in meetings to develop a specific plan of action in response to the students’ demands.

As we began our discussions, we prioritized with the students the items to discuss first, which included their key concerns and shared information about items that were already in progress. Additionally, Vice Provost Camarillo met separately with Professors Jennifer Heung and Monica Fitzgerald, chair and past-chair of the Academic Senate, and Patrice Young, chair of the Staff Council, to gain additional community insights into the action steps being developed.

Attached to this email is the list of initial action items that were developed, based on our discussions, to address the most prominent of concerns for our campus community. Active shooter training workshops with Chief Nagel have already begun for students, faculty, and staff. Information related to an active shooter response has been placed around campus, and to increase our preparedness, there will be a campus-wide active shooter drill during spring semester 2020.

I recognize the critical importance of improving our protocols for addressing and rapidly communicating information about major incidents that affect the lives of everyone at Saint Mary’s. I am genuinely grateful for the participation of the students representing End the Silence, to the representatives of the Academic Senate, Staff Council, and Associated Students for their collaboration on the development of a plan of action. We are committed to the safety and wellbeing of all members of our campus community. It is, and always will remain, our highest priority.

In the spirit of De La Salle, 

James A. Donahue
President