Penn State is committed to providing the safest possible campus environment for our students, faculty and staff. Sadly, we are reminded regularly that it is not possible to entirely prevent violence in any community, however, we can reduce the chance of violence by remaining vigilant and caring for ourselves and those around us.

To help foster a safe and secure campus environment, the University has a number of programs in place to assist individuals, including Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), through Student Affairs. CAPS offers students free access to group therapy, individual counseling, crisis intervention and psychiatric services.

In addition to CAPS, each Penn State campus has a Behavioral Threat Management Team (BTMT) composed of members of the campus community, whose purpose is to mitigate risk through early intervention and offering help before a troubled individual harms themselves or others. Members of the university community can report a concern any time by visiting http://btmt.psu.edu/contact/. If there is an imminent emergency, the community always should first call police by dialing 911.

Penn State has a number of safety measures already in place to protect students, faculty and staff, and to alert the Penn State community in case of an emergency, including:

-- Penn State has trained, professional police officers prepared to respond to acts of violence on campus, and each year, University Police and Public Safety conducts numerous community education programs about active shooter awareness response.

-- Computerized card access systems at all residence halls that only allow residents access to their own building. This system is in place on all Penn State campuses that have on-campus housing.

-- Periodic meetings and emergency response training exercises are held throughout the year with members of the University’s senior staff, police, fire, ambulance, emergency and communications personnel. Penn State Emergency Management routinely conducts active shooter tabletop exercises at campuses across the Commonwealth.

-- An existing policy, SY12 Weapons, Fireworks and Paintball Devices, that bans weapons on all University property except by law enforcement and authorized personnel;

-- Detailed plans to communicate in an emergency, including the PSUAlert messaging system; and

-- A free online training program, “StaySAFE: Surviving an Active Shooter,” available to anyone with a Penn State access ID at http://StaySAFE.psu.edu/.

In the event of an active shooter situation, the StaySAFE program urges people to:

-- Search for an exit: Get to a safe place. Leave the area in the opposite direction from any shooter.

-- Alert the authorities: Call or text 911. Give as many details about what you saw or heard, as well as your current location. Do not assume that someone else has called – you may have new information for the police.

-- Find a place to hide: If you cannot leave, turn out the lights of the room you are in, lock or barricade the door and hide until help arrives. Avoid hallways, turn your cell phone on silent and remain as quiet as possible.

-- End the threat: This is a last resort when you have no other option, a life-or-death situation. Attempt to take the shooter out however you can. If you choose this option, do not hesitate and be decisive.

All Penn State students, faculty and staff members receive PSUAlert messages by email, and can choose to receive messages by text message or phone call as well by visiting http://PSUAlert.psu.edu/. At that address, users also can choose to receive alerts for multiple Penn State campuses. In the event of an emergency, PSUAlert will be used to provide the campus community with critical information.

Additional reporting information and community resources are available at http://news.psu.edu/story/360374/2015/06/11/message-faculty-staff-and-students-about-reporting-resources