New development: EC admits to possible mistakes in notification process after recent incidents
Edward Momkus, board of trustees chair (center left) says Elmhurst College will need to review their notification process in response to student and faculty complaints. Photo by Syeda Sameeha
In response to faculty and student complaints about how long it took Elmhurst College to notify the campus about recent hate and shooting threat incidents, the board of trustees said Friday the institution needs to review their notification protocol.
One such complaint came from faculty who after the Tuesday night shooting threat, came to class unaware of what occurred, finding large numbers of student absences and concerned emails about safety.
In a packed Blume Board room at the end of a very tense week, trustee chair Edward Momkus admitted to fellow trustees October 25, “We probably need to review our notification protocols,” referring to calls for establishing a quicker process to inform faculty about critical incidents on campus.
In an interview after the meeting, Momkus explained establishing this protocol was necessary because faculty are “first people students see on campus.”
According to Momkus, the administration was bound by privacy laws and could not threaten the Elmhurst Police Department’s ongoing investigation, but agreed “in retrospect they [administration] could’ve done a few things earlier.”
“Some of the delay was necessary, some of the delays could have been eliminated,” he added.
Trustee Kevin York, also agreed in his board report that the campus needs to be more prepared for these types of occurrences.
“These types of things can be persistent,” said York.
Students have also complained about the lack of information and notification process, with many feeling unsafe on campus.
“Many have lost confidence that EC is a second home,” said Alex Schultz, Student Government Association president in her report to the board.
Parents shared similar sentiments.
At the October 23 Niebuhr Hall community meeting, one mother who said she drove from Michigan to attend said, “I don’t feel like I’m getting the answers I feel like I need to get.”
Momkus also said to The Leader, "We had a mom who said she’s pulling her daughter out."
"The administration needs to communicate in a way that the campus trusts them and that didn’t happen this time," he added.
