Umpqua community college’s devastating shooting

Web photo – Umpqua campus – CNN news

No doubt, you’ve heard about the Umpqua Community College shooting on Thursday morning: at least 13 persons dead, nearly two dozen injured and the suspected gunman dead after a shootout with first responders.

Across the Mt. Hood campus, people heard about the tragic news through social media, the schoolwide email announcement, or directly from other people talking about it.

The Advocate set out to capture immediate reaction and get answers to a few of our questions. See our video at: advocate-online.net.

A campus-wide message was sent by MHCC Director of Marketing Bruce Battle.

Battle strongly pushed the idea of making sure “to pay attention, monitor, be aware, and have that heightened awareness of what’s going on around you” at the Mt. Hood campus.

Jet, student at MHCC reacts to news about Umpqua. Photo by Nick Pelster.

If there are students that feel that they are not safe or that they need to talk about the Umpqua shooting, counseling is available on campus to any students that need it, Battle added. He said the MHCC Public Safety Department has conducted several active shooter drills and has provided information, resources, and videos.

MHCC officials will monitor the status of the shooting and if there’s something that they think needs to change, they’ll let everybody know — but Battle said the incident was too fresh to discuss any further.

“Our thoughts and prayers go out to our colleagues — the staff and students. It’s such an incredibly difficult time; words can’t convey the horror of the entire thing,” Battle wrote in the email. “We’re here to respond, if they (Umpqua) request anything from it. We’d be more than willing to provide assistance or resources that we can provide, if they need it.”

For more detailed information on MHCC’s public safety plans, go to the school’s website at: mhcc.edu/PublicSafety

Advocate Staff