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Security Message from the Chancellor

The Penn State Berks community is stunned and deeply saddened by the terrible tragedy that occurred at Virginia Tech. We send our thoughts and prayers to the students, faculty, staff, and families of the victims, and we stand ready to offer our support in any way possible. Whether or not we know a member of the Virginia Tech community personally, we empathize with their pain and suffering.

Penn State Berks would like to reassure our students and their families that although tragedies like this are rare occurrences, Penn State Berks has a comprehensive security and crisis communication plan in place. The college's Crisis Management Team has established protocols for dealing with a wide variety of situations. Safety and security are a community effort at Penn State Berks and our faculty and staff are extremely sensitive to potentially dangerous situations.

Our Police Services officers are on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. All officers are commissioned under state law and have the same authority as municipal police officers in the Commonwealth. In addition, they have an excellent working relationship with local law enforcement.

Our residence halls are equipped with closed circuit televisions in the entry and hallways, and students must use access key cards to enter the residence buildings. In addition, emergency telephones are available in each of the classrooms and are strategically located across the campus.

I encourage anyone who is having difficulty coping with this horrific incident or who feels the need to talk about their feelings to contact Counseling Services. Our counselors are caring professionals who are here to serve our students.

Peace to all,
Dr. Susan Phillips Speece
Chancellor, Penn State Berks