June 2, 2022 – An Update Regarding Campus Safety

Dear Wildcat family,

With the unsettling news this week of the arrest of an employee, I hear and understand your concerns for campus safety and I want to provide some updates.

First off, I’m thankful to the FBI, our University Police Department, and the Butte County Sheriff’s Office for working together to identify the threat, take immediate action to remove the employee from campus, and place the individual into custody. Law enforcement has seized the individual’s firearms and he no longer has access to any campus facilities. While the individual remains in custody, the University is working to ensure he will not have access to or be allowed on campus as a condition of eventual release.

I also know, as we've unfortunately seen around the country recently, not all threats have been thwarted as proactively as this one. As a public campus in today's world, we would be remiss as a University and as individuals if we did not regularly review our campus safety plans to ensure we are informed and following all available best practices. To that end, I am working with Interim Police Chief Chris Nicodemus and others to evaluate our emergency response plan (PDF) and any additional safety measures we can put in place at Chico State.

All members of the campus community should be aware of the following:

• Chico State Alerts, our emergency notification system, is in place to rapidly inform the campus and community of impending emergencies via phone, text, and email. If you haven’t done so, please click on the link and choose your best notification method by providing a personal phone number or cell phone number for text messages, and/or an email address.
• The campus active shooter training video provides important information and will help you form a plan based on your location and needs. I strongly encourage you to watch this video.
• In addition to the campus-wide emergency response plan, each department on campus has been encouraged to create an emergency plan that covers evacuation routes, assembly points, and shelter in-place locations. Before the beginning of the fall semester, I will ask each dean, chair, and supervisor to update and review their plan with their employees.
• Every floor within every building on campus is intended to have a Floor Evacuation Coordinator (FEC). I've asked EHS to make sure each area on campus has a current FEC. To the best of their ability, FECs assist all employees within the floor of their building to evacuate safely.

Most importantly, policies and plans are only part of the equation. Campus safety is a shared responsibility for all of us and we must look out for each other. I’m asking everyone to assist in making the campus a safe place by being alert to alarming situations and reporting as appropriate. The University can refer individuals to mental health services as needed (learn about the CARE Team) and anonymous tips may be reported to UPD(opens in new window). If you see something, say something.

Like many in this country, I share your fears and worries that an average day could turn to tragedy. Yet, I find strength in our community and comfort in the plans, and, most importantly, the people working to keep Chico State safe. I hope you do, too—we will keep working toward that goal.

Sincerely,

Gayle E. Hutchinson

President