March 12, 2008
Dear Colleagues,
Many of you probably read ULM Police Chief Larry Ellerman's e-mail to the campus community concerning Tuesday's events at the Student Success Center.
His e-mail informed you that at approximately 4:40 p.m. Tuesday, a non-student, accompanied by a student, walked into the Student Success Center, located on the second floor of the ULM Library. A ULM employee noticed a pistol strapped to the non-student's waist and called university police. Police arrived at the scene within 2-3 minutes and immediately arrested the individual, who was then booked at the Ouachita Parish jail. Police later determined that the individual was carrying a BB pistol.
I want to reassure you that our police responded immediately; they arrived at the scene within minutes and quickly apprehended the individual. I also applaud the swift action of a ULM employee who called the university police. That kind of awareness and quick action ensures the safety of our campus which is a top priority at ULM.
A few of you have asked me how FirstCall, our new emergency notification system, factors into an incident like this. In the case of a crisis on campus, Chief Ellerman first assesses the situation and then decides whether or not to activate this new system, which sends alerts via text messaging, e-mail and more. Because Tuesday's incident was resolved almost immediately, Police Chief Ellerman deemed it unnecessary to activate the alert system.
I had planned to post a new letter to the President's "Straight Talk" page today dealing with the new First Call system. However, this incident says more about the need for you to sign up than words could express. I urge you to follow the simple instructions and submit your information. To learn more about this important new initiative at ULM, please visit the Emergency Notification System Web page at www.ulm.edu/ens/
As always, please feel free to e-mail me with your questions or comments.
James E. Cofer, Sr.
ULM President