MT. PLEASANT -- Central Michigan University President George E. Ross is assuring students the campus is safe, after a female student was abducted and sexually assaulted Wednesday night.
In a written statement posted on the university website, Ross writes,
"Dear Students, Parents, Alumni, Faculty and Staff,
On this most difficult day, I wanted to update you about our campus and our safety.
Please know that the events of yesterday were a horrible, but isolated incident. Police assure us that history shows CMU has a very safe campus and violent crime here is rare.
The world is changing, and we are living in a more violent society. Each of us needs to be prepared, to be wise, to look out for each other. When you have an opportunity to participate in a safety lesson, take it, and pay close attention. Our law enforcement leaders assure us the best crime prevention for most situations is staying informed. Information and knowledge really are power.
Toward that end, we understand and expect that you are concerned; it’s an appropriate response to the situation. Not only do we want you to be safe, we want you to feel safe and we will continue to work hard to maintain a safe environment. For example, through our Safe Ride program, more than 15,000 students already receive free nighttime escorts across the CMU campus each year. We anticipate increased use of this service now and are doubling the number of cars available. Also on campus, we have more than 500 strategically placed security cameras, both in and outside of buildings. We have five police agencies in this community, including the CMU Police, Sheriff’s Department, City Police, State Police and Tribal Police. As part of orientation, all incoming students are provided with training on identifying and reacting to aggressive behavior.
Further, thousands of Central Alert messages were issued via phone and email shortly after midnight this morning once police had a grasp of what was happening. Students, faculty and staff may opt into the university’s Central Alert system at myaccount.cmich.edu.
As you deal with the aftermath of this issue in the days ahead, additional support is available. Students are encouraged to contact the CMU Counseling Center at 989-774-3381 or Counselors in Residence at the Student Success Centers. Employees may contact CMU's Employee Assistance Program, Encompass, at 800-788-8630.
At CMU, safety always has been and will be a top priority. We will continue to evaluate and discuss all of our safety measures to ensure we do everything possible to protect the safety of everyone on our campus.
George E. Ross
President