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The University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916
2 013 Pa c e m a k e r F i n a l i s t
W e d n e s d a y , J a n u a r y 2 3 , 2 0 14
ALL SYSTEMS GO
Mel Odom for the daily
Above: Police ask witnesses what happened in Gould Hall around 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday.
Officials respond within three minutes to false alarm in Gould Hall
U
niversity College freshman Abby Reitz was sitting in her sociology class in Gould Hall when police arrived, toting guns and telling people to put their hands in the air and evacuate the building.
Staff Reports
“We never take these kind of reports lightly,” he said. The police were looking for a shooter after shots Boren said there are four main methods for contactwere reported coming from inside the building at ing students in case of an emergency: text alerts, phone about 11:15 a.m. call alerts, email alerts and intercom broadcasts. Julie Jones, an associate professor at Gaylord For this emergency, Boren thought the best way to College, watched the scene unfold from her classroom speedily inform people on campus was through the in Gaylord Hall, adjacent to Gould Hall. Through the text alert system. Even though the shooting didn’t take window, she saw police swarm campus and students place, Boren said the system worked well. running around outside before Gaylord Boren urged students, faculty and staff Hall was put on lockdown. to update their contact information so At around 11:20 a.m. the university isthey could receive emergency alerts. sued an emergency text alert telling stu“The greatest protection we can have dents, faculty and staff there had been is a quick alert,” he said. a shooting on campus and to stay away Tom Woodfin, director of the division from Gould Hall. The ordeal lasted a of landscape architecture, was in Gould little over an hour before OU President Hall when they evacuated the building. The greatest David Boren said in a press conference Woodfin and his architecture colleagues protection we can had completed a campus-shooter trainthere was no evidence of a shooting on campus, speculating the reported noising about two weeks ago. have is a quick es could have been caused by a conIn the aftermath of the incident, alert.” struction machine malfunction. Woodfin said the university handled the Although Boren speculated the inshooting scare well and said he found his OU President David Boren cident was an equipment error, OU’s training really useful. mass alert system notified students of “I think they should require every facthe potential threat within minutes, said Maj. Bruce ulty member and staff member to see it. I don’t think it Chan, OU Police Department spokesman. should be optional,” he said. “We try to send [text message alerts] out as quickly OU’s incident came a day after a shooting at Purdue as possible. It’s usually a matter of minutes,” he said. University that left teaching assistant Andrew Boldt, At the press conference, Boren didn’t identify the 21, dead. faculty member who reported the alleged shooting, but said no one should hesitate to report suspicious Blayklee Buchanan, Graham Dudley, Matt Woods, activity. Kate Bergum and Paighten Harkins contributed to the Boren said it’s better to assume there are no false report. Jessica Woods/the daily Middle: OU President David Boren addresses students alarms and to warn students of potential danger as Wednesday outside Copeland Hall. soon as possible, whether that means calling the police when there may be danger or issuing an OU Luke Reynolds/the daily Bottom: A Norman police officer runs by Gaylord Hall toward Emergency Alert.
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Gould Hall on Wednesday.
TIMELINE OF EVENTS 11:17 — The Norman Police Department received reports of the alleged gunshots.
11 a.m.
Around noon — OU’s Alert System sends out Second message: “OUPD Alert. Continue to avoid Gould Hall. Otherwise, resume normal activities on campus.”
noon 11:20 — Students and faculty received an alert via text and email from OU’s Alert System: “OU Emergency: Shooting on campus. Avoid (Gould Hall). Seek immediate shelter in place.”
Around 12:10 p.m. — OU President David Boren addresses students on the South Oval that classes will resume in every building but Gould Hall, and states that to his knowledge, there was not a shooter found.
1 p.m. — Boren holds a press conference outside Evans Hall.
1 p.m. Around 2:12 p.m. — OU’s Alert System sends out Second message: “Gould Hall has been cleared for occupancy. Classes in Gould Hall are resuming. All other university operations and classes will continue as normal.
2 p.m.