Before the Thanksgiving weekend begins, I wanted to take a minute to reach out regarding the emergency response to a suspicious male on campus that began early Thursday morning.

I’m thankful that the situation was brought under control quickly, with no injuries, and with the individual getting the help he required. I’m also thankful for the witnesses who reported what they had seen so that Campus Enforcement and Patrol and the RNC could do their jobs to locate and detain the individual.

I also want to assure the university community that the lessons learned from the response to this incident will immediately be put to use to improve all areas of our response, including operations, communications and education. We need to do a better job and we will do better in future. Work has already begun to implement changes and that work will continue.

I apologize for the stress, confusion and upset that was experienced. That isn’t right and we will use this experience to improve.

Please know that your safety is our No. 1 priority. Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving weekend.

Dr. Noreen Golfman
Provost and vice-president (academic)

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