Mourning and Tragedy

GAMBIER, Ohio (April 17, 2007) The Kenyon community joins with other colleges and with our nation in mourning yesterday's tragedy at Virginia Tech University. We extend our deep condolences to the members of that university community, as they deal with the sorrow and grief resulting from this unfathomable deed.

Inevitably, all of us--and especially the families of college students--in these days are asking ourselves about the safety of college campuses. First, it is only appropriate and realistic to recognize that some disasters simply cannot be foreseen or averted. I want to reaffirm to the Kenyon community, however, that the College makes every possible effort to ensure that the attentiveness and the active lines of communication which can make the difference in averting tragedy are high priorities for Kenyon.

The College has long had a detailed emergency response plan. Our small size, residential character, and even our unique architectural plan (with almost the entire College laid out along the central backbone of Middle Path) afford some advantages in dealing with emergency situations. In the light of this unprecedented event, however, we--like most of the nation's colleges--are re-examining and re-evaluating our emergency response plan, to ensure that it is as timely and viable as we can make it. In particular, we will be focussing on a very strong network of communications; individual situations may not be foreseeable, but effective communication with all members of our community will be valuable in every situation. At Kenyon, we are proud of our record in communicating quickly and effectively in times of crisis, and we pledge to maintain and build upon that strength.

President S. Georgia Nugent