Moving from Crisis to Containment with Empathy and Respect

This week the college was the site of a serious and jarring incident in which two students were stabbed, one seriously. Fortunately, both students received immediate treatment at the Westchester Medical Center and are recovering from their injuries. 

The stabbings occurred in the heat of an altercation that appears to have had its genesis, at least in part, off-campus, and in prior interactions unknown to the college. In other words, this was an isolated incident that thankfully posed no greater threat to the wider college community.  Security, police, and medical personnel were on the scene quickly, and the individuals involved were quickly identified and detained. 

This situation moved from crisis to containment very quickly. Less than 1 minute after the altercation began, our campus security was on the scene. One of our nurses from the Health Services Offices was there within the first 2 minutes to treat the wounded. Westchester County Police first arrived within 3 minutes of the start of the incident. In addition to these trained emergency responders, members from across the Student Life team also responded promptly to provide additional support. All these personnel embodied a calm, caring, and professional response that sought to maintain the safety and well-being of our community. 

Despite the rapid response to Wednesday’s incident, we recognize that an act of violence on our campus understandably raises questions and concerns from our campus community about safety. While we offer our assurances that this was an isolated incident involving specific individuals, the College takes these concerns seriously and is responding to them. 

As of yesterday, Campus Security has additional uniformed guards patrolling the Valhalla Campus. Westchester County Police are also providing supplemental high visibility patrols on campus.  This is in addition to our dedicated Westchester County Police Community Resource Officer, who is on campus every day. This increased security and police presence is meant to reassure members of our community and does not indicate any reason for heightened concern. 

We realize that a traumatic event requires more than just a security response. Westchester Community College has and always will put the well-being of our campus first. We encourage any student who feels they need support to contact the Department of Mental Health and Counseling Services. In addition, the department has provided special drop-in counseling services, and opportunities for group processing and relaxation this week to assist those who have been impacted by this week’s incident. The Department of Student Involvement is also continuing to hold spaces for reflection, engagement, and dialogue where students can come together and support one another.  These spaces remain open today in the Student Center Event Room until 2:00pm. They will be available again from 10:00am – 4:00pm on Monday, September 21 in the Student Center Events Room, on Tuesday, September 22 in the Technology Building Lounge, and again on Wednesday, September 23 in the Student Center Events Room.  College employees can utilize the Westchester County Employee Assistance Program (WCEAP), which provides free, confidential, counseling and referral services for a wide range of personal problems. More information is available via this link: Employee EAP Services.  

Lastly, in line with the College’s emergency response plans, I have formed a Recovery Management Team, who I will work with to, among other things, conduct an after-action review of our handling of this campus violence emergency.  The purpose of this review is to identify policy and protocol improvements, training needs, and other measures that can strengthen our preparedness and response to future campus emergencies. 

As we gather ourselves and continue onward, please remember that our top priority is ensuring a safe and welcoming environment for students, faculty, and staff. Such an environment in which we reflect our values of respect and empathy may best support the pursuit of our mission to provide an accessible, high-quality, and affordable education that meets the needs of our diverse community.