Campus Safety Day

In April of this year, Saint Xavier University was reluctantly drawn into a national conversation about how schools should react to threats of violence on campus. After an anonymous threat was found in a student resident hall giving a specific date, we decided to close our campus for four days until the threat was deemed no longer credible by law enforcement.

The decision to close was weighed carefully with input from the FBI, the Chicago Police and the SXU Police. I am pleased to say that we acted in a caring and coordinated fashion to protect the safety of our students, faculty and staff. Students who could not travel home were placed in hotels. During this time we took great pains to communicate with the entire community through a variety of communication tools, including a dedicated Web site, press releases, blogs and a text message alert system to cell phones.

To continue ensuring the highest quality of safety, Saint Xavier University students, faculty, staff and the public are invited to experience Campus Safety Day on Monday, Nov. 10 at SXU’s Chicago campus, 3700 W. 103rd St.

Visitors will learn about the latest emergency response and management equipment, technology, and safety procedures in place for a variety of disasters ranging from winter storms and fires to an active shooter on campus. Representatives from the FBI, the American Red Cross and The Chicago Office of Emergency Management and Communication will give lectures on preparedness, and various agencies will provide educational displays. There also will be an emergency response vehicle display tour.

Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to view the video Shots fired on Campus: When Lightning Strikes, which provides guidance for surviving an active shooter situation. Click here for a complete schedule of events.

The safety of our students, faculty and staff is a primary concern at Saint Xavier University. We live in a new era of safety challenges, and we are prepared to face them. I encourage you to participate in the events of this important day.

A timely visit

America’s favorite political couple, Democratic strategist James Carville and Republican strategist Mary Matalin, graced Saint Xavier University Thursday night with one of our most entertainingly relevant evenings on record.

Ms. Matalin, who is from Burnham, Ill., charmed our capacity audience with her dry observations, often deployed at the expense of her equally engaging husband. Mr. Carville was in turn equally funny and willing to share the inside stories and scathing political commentary that have made these two the top in their field. I would note that they were as gracious off stage as they were on, both of them kind with our staff and generous with their time.

It is the role of any great university to engage the community in thoughtful discussion about relevant events. Given that they spoke here just days away from this most historic presidential election, I can’t imagine a better opportunity for Chicagoans to gain valuable insight into how campaigns operate than to see two of the greatest political minds in the country.

Opportunities for Chicagoans to share time with such world famous minds reinforces what a treasure the Sisters of Mercy gave Chicago when they created Saint Xavier. We were very pleased that both Oprah and NBC chose to come to Saint Xavier to interview Ms. Matalin and Mr. Carville.

I have included below a video sample of the event for you to enjoy from this excellent evening: