University opens feedback portal for Aug. 28 emergency response

Bell Tower on campus of UNC-Chapel Hill. — (Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)

Dear Carolina Community,

On Aug. 28, 2023, we experienced a campus shooting resulting in the death of a faculty member. Losing a member of our community in such a senseless way is a tragedy, and this has been a challenging time for everyone. The hours spent sheltering in place while UNC Police and local responders apprehended the suspect and secured the campus were understandably exceedingly difficult and even traumatizing for so many.

As emergency responders, we have trained extensively for these events with hopes that they never actually occur. We are comprehensively reviewing the emergency response to determine what worked best in terms of our operational and training approach during this event and what can be improved upon as we continue to address campus safety.

In accordance with UNC’s Emergency Management Policy and national best practices, our Emergency Management and Planning team will look at the emergency response on Aug. 28 and assess improvements to the University’s emergency response plans over the next few months. To start this review process, we are soliciting feedback from the campus community regarding personal experiences during the incident.

We have created a brief feedback portal where our students, faculty, staff, parents and families can provide preliminary comments on what worked and what could work better based on your firsthand experiences throughout the incident period on Monday, Aug. 28.

It takes approximately 5 minutes to fill out the feedback portal. Students, faculty and staff will be asked to provide your ONYEN so we are able to identify what responses come from members who are currently living and working on campus versus parents, families or the general public.

Participation is optional. If you begin to experience stress while completing the form, do not feel compelled to finish it. There will be other ways to provide feedback on the incident in the future.

If you wish to provide us with the information requested in the feedback portal, please do so by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 20, when it will close.

We want to understand where you were and what you experienced. However, we recommend that you avoid including identifiable personal details as much as possible. In addition, this is not a form to report incidents of misconduct, harassment or discrimination. Please report those types of incidents to the Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office.

The following resources are available to students, staff and faculty who may be experiencing harm, unmanageable stress, or emotional strain after the incident: