Report of the February 14, 2008 Shootings at Northern Illinois University Report of the February 14, 2008 Shootings at Northern Illinois University Forward Together Forward Memorial The Forward Together Forward Memorial was created in honor of the victims of a campus shooting that took place on February 14, 2008, when a former NIU student opened fire on students in a geology class in Cole Hall 101. On that day, 21 were wounded and five students—Gayle Dubowski, Catalina Garcia, Julianna Gehant, Ryanne Mace and Daniel Parmenter—lost their lives. This memorial will serve as a place of reflection and remembrance for all those affected by the February 14 tragedy. TABLE OF CONTENTS Administration ............................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgments .........................................................................................................................vi A Message from President John G. Peters ..................................................................................viii In Memoriam ................................................................................................................................ix Campus Aerial View of Cole Hall ............................................................................................. xiv Introduction .................................................................................................................................. xv Major Findings and Responses ...................................................................................................xvi Northern Illinois University Department of Public Safety February 14, 2008 Investigative Summary ... 1 Source for Time Documentation .............................................................................................. 1 Critical Incident Response ..................................................................................................... 12 Incident Command and Investigative Cooperation .................................................................17 Steven Kazmierczak – Personal History and Background .................................................... 20 Psychological Assessment and Evaluation ........................................................................ 27 Psychologist’s Assessment Findings and Conclusions ...................................................... 30 Case Status ............................................................................................................................. 48 February 14, 2008 Emergency Service Providers .................................................................. 49 Campus Procedures and Initiatives .............................................................................................. 50 Mental Health Services and Prevention Programs ................................................................. 50 Student Affairs Staff Training for Emergencies .................................................................... 56 Information Flow During a Crisis .......................................................................................... 58 Student Affairs Policy Changes Post-February 14, 2008 ....................................................... 60 Academic Implications of the 2/14 Tragedy ........................................................................... 63 Information Technology Services Crisis Communications Update ....................................... 64 Emergency First Responders/Campus Planning and Training ............................................... 65 Facility Floor Plan Accessibility to NIU Department of Public Safety ................................. 66 Existing NIU Weapons Policies ............................................................................................. 67 Off-Campus Centers and Emergency Operations .................................................................. 69 Emergency Weather Closing Procedures ............................................................................... 71 Emergency Operations Plan - Hoffman Estates, Lorado Taft, Naperville, and Rockford Outreach Centers .............................................................................................. 73 Homeland Security Education Opportunities at NIU ............................................................ 86 iii Division of Student Affairs Response and Recovery Report ....................................................... 88 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 88 Immediate Crisis Timeline: February 14, 2008 ..................................................................... 88 Family Support ....................................................................................................................... 89 Student Health and Wellness .................................................................................................. 90 Faculty and Staff Health and Wellness .................................................................................. 91 Student Support Services ....................................................................................................... 91 Ceremonies ............................................................................................................................ 93 Lessons Learned .................................................................................................................... 94 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 96 Communiversity Response to February 14, 2008 ........................................................................ 97 February 14, 2008 Conclusions and Post-Event Summary .........................................................103 Appendix A–State of Illinois Campus Security Task Force Report to the Governor ................ A-1 Appendix B–U.S. Fire Administration/Technical Report Series - NIU Shooting ..................... B-1 Appendix C–Crisis Response Policy and Procedure (Purpose and Philosophy section) ........... C-1 Appendix D–Student Code of Conduct ..................................................................................... D-1 Appendix E–Workplace Violence Prevention Policy ..................................................................E-1 Appendix F–Faculty and Staff Guide for Assisting Emotionally Troubled Students .................F-1 Appendix G–Involuntary University Withdrawal Policy for Threats Related to Mental or Psychological Disorders............................................................................................................... G-1 Appendix H–Academic and other Campus-wide Implications of the 2/14 Tragedy .................. H-1 Appendix I–Classroom Outreach Program ..................................................................................I-1 Appendix J–Opportunities to Heal ...............................................................................................J-1 Appendix K–Preparing Faculty and Staff to Return to Class .....................................................K-1 iv Governor Honorable Pat Quinn Board of Trustees Appointed Members Robert T. Boey, DeKalb John R. Butler, Chicago Cherilyn G. Murer, Homer Glen Manuel “Manny” Sanchez, Lisle Myron E. Siegel, Bannockburn Marc J. Strauss, DeKalb Barbara Giorgi Vella, Rockford Student Member Matthew Venaas, DeKalb Administration John G. Peters, President Raymond W. Alden III, Executive Vice President and Provost Eddie R. Williams, Executive Vice President, Business and Finance, and Chief of Operations Anne C. Kaplan, Vice President, Administration and University Outreach Michael P. Malone, Vice President, University Advancement and Development Brian O. Hemphill, Vice President, Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Kathryn A. Buettner, Vice President, University Relations Kenneth L. Davidson, Vice President and General Counsel v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS For those of us who remember February 14, 2008 as if it happened yesterday, we continue to grieve the loss of five promising lives and the shattered sanctity of NIU as a haven for peace, understanding and respect. As the eyes of the world were suddenly and glaringly thrust on the NIU community, the most important lesson learned was that in our time of grief, we were not alone. Thousands of individuals and institutions around the world extended sympathy and support to the university community in the days following February 14. Students from West Nickel Mines Amish School in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (which suffered a tragic shooting in 2006 at the hands of a lone gunman) sent words of comfort and the watercolor “Happier Days,” which shows children playing happily in the schoolyard. It hangs in President Peters’ office today as a reminder that out of tragedy and despair come hope and restoration. Over 500 professional counselors throughout the Midwest put their professional lives on hold and volunteered their time and talent to NIU students, faculty and staff to help ease the pain created in a single act of violence on that fateful February day. Dozens of volunteers from across the country brought comfort dogs to DeKalb so that when our students returned to classes on February 25, 2008, they would be met by “man’s best friends.” Many of our students hugged those wonderful dogs and wept openly, some for the first