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May 11, 2007 9:48 am US/Mountain
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CU Evaluates Emergency Response
Graduation Goes Forward On Campus
Officials Acted After Boulder High Incident
by Jodi Brooks
BOULDER, Colo. (CBS4) ―
University of Colorado commencement ceremonies were being held under stepped up security on Friday, a day after a scare at nearby Boulder High School. The university also plans to evaluate its emergency response to Thursday's incident and look at what can be learned.
About 18,000 people attended the exercises, in addition to about 5,000 graduates, at Folsom Stadium on CU's campus, which borders the grounds of the high school.
CU will give out 5,650 degrees. Golfer Hale Irwin, a 1967 graduate, will address the graduates. Gov. Bill Ritter was also scheduled to address the university's law school graduates at a separate ceremony later in the day.
Classes resumed at the high school Friday morning, with only two entrances, rather than the usual ten, open as students filed in. Staffers were posted at each entrance and two more police officers joined the one normally assigned to the school.
Police don't have much to go on. One was wearing a ski mask and the cook didn't get a good description of the second person, police chief Mark Beckner said. If they were students, he expected word to spread among the students.
CU Police and other officials reacted to the suspicious incident in the middle of an unusual Thursday on campus. Finals were ending and students were packing up for the semester while some small departmental graduation ceremonies were going on.
"That's a really unique set of circumstances where people are not doing what they normally do on a college campus," said Bronson Hilliard, a CU spokesperson.
CU officials offered a timeline of their response to the incident at Boulder High School.
Boulder police were called about the sighting at the school at 6:06 a.m. At 7 a.m., CU Housing officials were on scene. CU police were there at 7:15 a.m. and started locking down 19 buildings on the north end of campus and helped closed streets.
An email alert to CU student residence hall directors was sent at 7:45 a.m. And then at 9 a.m., an email was sent to all CU student residents.
"I didn't check my email because I've been packing all day and storing stuff," said Alex Glazer, a Sophomore at CU.
Most students were not near a computer on Thursday because of the packing and other activities.
One student said she checked her email at work.
"I was surprised but it was very comforting to know that they were at least taking action in security of our students," said Robyn Glang, a CU Senior.
CU officials said they were pleased with Thursday's response, but want to strengthen communication outreach.
"I think we did okay," said Hilliard. "I think we can do better."
The university is looking at reverse 911 or text messaging capabilities. There are also ideas being considered to have a campus wide public address system and mobile police broadcasting vehicles.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)