Mount Royal University accused of being ‘woefully equipped’ to deal with campus emergency - BERITAJA

Why wasn’t location an emergency alert disposable connected Mount Royal University’s MRU app during Monday’s “shelter successful place” advisory?

That’s a mobility being asked by unit and students astatine the assemblage pursuing the determination by Calgary constabulary to rumor the advisory aft reports of a man being seen pinch a weapon connected campus.

Calgary constabulary issued the “shelter successful place” advisory about 2:45 p.m. aft they were capable to corroborate done CCTV that location was personification who walked onto field pinch a knife.

CPS estimated betwixt 30 and 40 officers from each complete the metropolis responded to the call.

“We conscionable saw a bunch of cops moving towards america and they were carrying ample rifles and it was beautiful scary, and we asked them what was going on, they didn’t springiness america an answer,” said MRU student Ahmer Khan. “The guns were for illustration this large — it was for illustration the size of the limb — it was crazy for illustration I’ve ne'er seen thing for illustration this these large guns.”

Kyla Isidro was successful the Arts building astatine the time.

“We received an email from MRU saying that location was a personification and they described the personification — and the specifications connected what this personification was wearing. I downloaded the MRU Now app, which informs students and unit about what’s going connected on campus. If there’s immoderate emergency going on, we’re informed connected the app, but we didn’t person immoderate notifications,” said Isidro.

The students who said to BERITAJA besides said location was nary mention successful the email that the personification had a weapon.

“When we went retired of the hallway, the Calgary Police Services were location and had told america we could time off the classroom, but we didn’t person immoderate much clarifications different than that,” added Isidro.

The “shelter successful place” advisory was lifted erstwhile constabulary wished the personification pinch the weapon was an MRU worker who was moving arsenic a cook and had what appeared to beryllium a chef’s weapon successful his possession that he was carrying into work.

While constabulary said, aft the shelter successful spot advisory was lifted, that location was ne'er a threat to nationalist safety, concerns person been raised by about the university’s response, pinch the unit and students who said to BERITAJA asking why they didn’t get immoderate notification connected the MRU app.

“I was not connected campus, however, the interest I person is that a batch of my colleagues who were connected field were the ones that were notifying 1 different done either matter messages aliases societal media,” said Kelly Sundberg, a professor of criminology astatine MRU.

“If it were an existent threat — God forbid — it demonstrated that Mount Royal University is woefully equipped to reside and to respond, to notify individuals, to show the organization one, either don’t travel to field aliases shelter successful spot aliases get disconnected field benignant of thing. The connection was very poor,” said Sundberg who added, “I did cheque the app and it said nothing.”

Asked for a consequence to the concerns, MRU told BERITAJA successful an email, “MRU did its champion to respond, but look challenges relating to the analyzable quality of the incident and immoderate of the devices used.”

The assemblage claims it did nonstop “several messages” done the MRU Now app arsenic good arsenic done email and societal media.

However, the connection said, “MRU Now could spell into “hibernation,” aliases beryllium off-loaded from devices, if not utilized regularly. We are asking each labor and students to return a infinitesimal to download MRU Now aliases cheque their notification settings to let notifications from the app.”

While the email didn’t supply immoderate accusation connected what assemblage management will beryllium doing to reside the concerns, different than asking group to update the app, it did say, “we continually reappraisal our soul processes and responses related to information incidents.”

Sunberg said he hopes the incident is simply a wake-up telephone for assemblage administration.

“This conscionable shows that information is not connected the beforehand of mind of leaders and it should be. If it were a wide casualty event, location would beryllium liability. There’s besides information negligence.”

“This is the wellness and information issue,” said Sundberg. “We person complete 15,000 group connected that field connected a fixed day. We had a batch of young people. We person a batch of susceptible people, and to person this demonstrated is thing short of highly concerning and deserves place by the province.”

The shelter successful spot advisory was lifted about 5 p.m. connected Monday, conscionable complete 2 hours aft it was issued.

However, the investigation continues and constabulary opportunity the personification suspect, who was yet wished to person the weapon successful their possession, could look mischief and weapons charges.