GVSU responds to Virginia Tech tragedy

The entire Grand Valley State University community is horrified by the tragic events that occurred yesterday at Virginia Tech. We are saddened by the loss of life and injuries, and we offer our deepest condolences to all at Virginia Tech.

We want the Grand Valley community to know that we have had emergency response plans in place for many years. We test, review and update those plans regularly -- we did so most recently after the murder of a student at another Michigan university. The university conducts drills of those plans periodically, often with the cooperation of other public safety agencies, to look for areas where we can improve. We want also to ensure substantive and timely communication.

Dean of Students Bart Merkle and Student Senate president Frank Foster are working together to send a message of condolence on our behalf to their counterparts at Virginia Tech.

Nothing is more important than the safety and well being of our faculty, staff, students and guests. It will always have my undivided attention.

Thomas J. Haas
President
Grand Valley State University