Murder on campus—a blood-chilling thought for any
college president. But what if the president doesn’t even know
that a murder investigation is under way? That seems to be the case at
Eastern Michigan University, where news reports claim that the president
and campus community did not learn about a student’s murder until
the perpetrator was arrested—two months after the victim’s
death in her dorm room at the hands of another student.
Murder was also the tragic topic in April when a
deranged student killed 32 people at Virginia Tech. Two hours elapsed
between his first two killings and his later attack on full classrooms
in Norris Hall. Could a more effective communications system after the
first two shootings have prevented the subsequent deaths of 30 students
and faculty in those classrooms? . . .
Excerpted from the fall 2007 issue of The
Presidency. To subscribe to the magazine, please call (301) 632-6757,
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