Weekly Update

Statement from SA President Regarding Tragic Campus Event

March 26th, 2012

Fellow Bulldogs,

As a Bulldog family, we are deeply saddened by the tragic events that took place on our campus this past weekend, and we mourn the loss of a member of our student body. It is in times such as these when it is vitally important that we come together and share the bond of loyalty and support that surrounds the People's University.

Mississippi State is known as an extremely safe University, and this is the first incident of its kind to ever take place on our campus. Thanks to the dedicated and highly committed leadership of our administration, I am confident in the continued safety of our campus and residence halls. As stated in many previous settings, this was an isolated incident and campus safety remains intact.

I hope it is evident to each and every student the timeliness exhibited through our University Police Department in their response to the event within one minute's time. Within 48 hours of the incident, the first of three persons of interest has been arrested in Memphis and the investigation continues to move forward.

The benefits seen through the notifications of our Maroon Alert emergency system allowed students to be notified instantaneously of the campus emergency. The University will always err on the side of student safety in the use of this system, no matter how often a perceived emergency circumstance might arise. The University will work to provide as much information as is available at the time in which a potential danger is reported for our campus. Student safety is paramount.

While the strengths of the system are great, it is only beneficial in times when it is used correctly. The Maroon Alert system is comprised of many features including, campus sirens, campus alert speakers, text message notifications, emails and emergency website updates. It is important that students have an emergency plan in place to seek safety during the unlikely circumstance that a campus emergency arises.

If you are not currently receiving Maroon Alert text messages, visit www.emergency.msstate.edu to activate this feature.

Across our campus, you will see living remembrances of our fallen students exhibited through our memorial tree program. Through this program, the spirit of our students is able to live on as a permanent member of the Bulldog Family and in the coming weeks, a tree will be planted to honor the memory of our fellow student.

Again, I am thankful for the dedicated leadership of our University administration and Crisis Action Team throughout this tragedy, and we are confident in the continued safety of our campus.

In Maroon and White,

Rhett Hobart

SA President

Mississippi State University