In Aftermath of StuVi 2 Tragedy, BU Begins Review of Security and Alert System
Flowers in front of Stu Vi II, where last week, a 33-year of Cambridge resident died after falling from the building’s 26th floor.
In Aftermath of StuVi 2 Tragedy, BU Begins Review of Security and Alert System
BU official: “This is not something to take lightly. The security of our students is my highest priority.”
Editor’s note: This story contains references to suicide that some readers may find disturbing.
More than a week after a 33-year-old man from Cambridge fell to his death at Boston University’s Student Village II residence hall, raising questions about security and safety, BU officials say a number of steps and conversations are underway as a result of the tragedy and that a task force is studying what changes should be made.
Two separate investigations remain ongoing: one is examining University security and safety protocols and how the person managed to get into the building and up to the 26th floor; the second is focused on the individual, and why he ended up in that particular building.
“We have to make sure our students are safe and secure in all the different areas they interact at the University,” says Kris Klinger, BU’s vice president of Auxiliary Services, who oversees campus housing and who put together the task force. “We take that very seriously. As soon as this occurred, we began looking into it. It’s less about pointing fingers and blaming and more about how do we reduce the chances of this happening again.”
The incident occurred late in the evening of February 15, when the man, whose name BU Today is withholding (and who had no association with BU), managed to enter the residence hall and make his way up without being stopped. When BU Police Department officers caught up with him, they tried, but were unable, to prevent him from climbing up to a small, elevated window that was not designed to be opened except in case of smoke or a fire in the building.
Klinger confirms reports that two staff security assistants in his department (staff members, not students) who were on duty at the time of the incident have been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation.
Kelly Nee, BU’s chief safety, security, and preparedness officer, says the University intended to send two alerts to the entire BU community through its messaging alert system the night of the incident, but a glitch prevented the alerts from reaching everyone.
BU’s messaging alert system is now being reviewed, Nee says. And she is proposing that more frequent tests of the system be implemented, as well as weekly internal tests for those responsible for sending the alerts out.
“We will correct the system,” Nee says. “The community alert from BUPD did not hit its intended audience. We believe the glitch has been rectified.”
Klinger says the task force he has set up comprises senior officials from four areas across the University—Housing, Residence Life, Facilities, and the BUPD. The incident was an isolated case, he says, but nonetheless a full review is warranted. “We’ll be working with different entities in the University in assessing building security to look for additional measures that need to be implemented,” he says.
The task force will work quickly, with the goal of reporting preliminary findings by the end of March.
“This is not something to take lightly,” Klinger says. “The security of our students is my highest priority.”
Nee says one question may never be answered: “We have no idea why he chose this building. It seems random. Why he picked 33 Agganis Way will probably forever be a mystery to us.”
But regardless of that, she adds, “We need to learn from this—and we will.”
Crisis counselors are available at Student Health Services Behavioral Medicine, 881 Commonwealth Ave., 617-353-3569. Crisis counseling is also available through SHS Sexual Assault Response & Prevention Center, 930 Commonwealth Ave., 617-353-7277. Marsh Chapel chaplains may be reached at 617-353-3560, for all members of the community. And faculty and staff seeking counseling are encouraged to reach out to the Faculty & Staff Assistance Office by calling 617-353-5381 or through its website.
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