In the aftermath of the campus shooting that claimed the life of engineering professor William S. Klug on June 1, UCLA Chancellor Gene Block announced the creation of a task force to examine the campus response to the tragedy.
“This week, we come together to look forward in saying how can we do things better, how can we eliminate violence on campus, how can we make ourselves safer?” said Block, who was joined by student leaders and members of local and state government at a press conference today at UCLA’s Meyerhoff Park.
“Violence, not just on campus, but in other schools and in our society, is rampant and we have to find ways to live together more safely, more respectfully,” he said. “We’ve solved amazing challenges, but this is a challenge we have to really address directly. Universities like UCLA can play an important role.”
The task force will assess a variety of topics, said Block, including campus communication, classroom security, door locks and training to prepare students, staff and faculty for an active shooter situation.
UCLA is the 186th school to experience gun violence since the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting in December 2012, said Danny Siegel, president of the Undergraduate Students Association.
“We want a world where campus violence is no longer the status quo, where mothers and fathers are not afraid to send their children to school, where students are not afraid to pursue an education and where teachers are not afraid to teach,” said Siegel. “In the tradition of Prof. Klug, we will do what we do best. We will tackle the great challenges of our time, study a problem and find solutions. We will lead the charge against campus violence… We are here to send a message ‘186 and not one more.’”