(COLORADO SPRINGS) — A new report outlines ways the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) should improve after a deadly shooting on campus. The results of the third-party review come nearly 10 months after police say a student shot and killed his roommate and a woman inside an on-campus apartment.
In March, UCCS Chancellor Jennifer Sobanet tasked an independent legal counsel with creating a review to help the campus gain a more complete understanding of the Feb. 16 shooting. Campus leaders are taking another step toward healing, while some students FOX21 News spoke to said they want more to be done.
“I remember it being really scary,” said Kira Stump, a senior at UCCS. “I mean, most of us are here for two or four years, I want to know that I’m going to be safe coming here every single day, especially if I was living here as well.”
The report details the response by UCCS both before and after the deadly shooting.
“Our highest priorities as they relate to this tragedy are to support justice for the individuals lost and their families, and to look critically at our institution to see where our response can improve,” Chancellor Sobanet said.
The 91-page report lists 13 recommendations for policy improvements, including a need to update the criteria to track and address concerning student behavior. The report also investigated UCCS’s response, citing statements from officials that there was “no continuing threat to the campus” despite the fact Jordan was not arrested until three days after the shooting.
“We were constantly coordinating with the Colorado Springs Police Department to ensure our safety,” Chancellor Sobanet explained. “One thing I kept saying to the campus community is that if I ever thought the campus community was not going to be safe, I would never have opened the campus.”
The report also identifies potential changes to the UCCS emergency response, including more drills on campus and more training for staff on resolving student conflicts. The Chancellor said as of Thursday, Dec. 5 the majority of the recommendations are completed or are ongoing. She also mentioned changes will be made to the university’s emergency operational plan, which hadn’t been updated since 2016, something some students said should have been done sooner.
“I mean, college campuses for young adults are one of the places where violence happens the most,” Stump said. “So the fact that in the year of 2016 and now it’s 2024, I just don’t like the sound of that at all. I wish they would have implemented more strategies for safety a lot sooner.”
Chancellor Sobanet replied, “I think that the update that we’re in the process of doing is an appropriate update and is appropriately timed for the work that we’re doing.”
UCCS February 16th Incident Report
As we approach one year since the shooting, UCCS is offering several wellness resources for students, faculty, and staff.
