LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — As UNLV continues to process the Dec. 6 campus shooting, President Keith Whitfield announced a new program, an update on Beam Hall, and a campus memorial in a letter to students and faculty on Friday.
"One thing I’ve learned from my interactions, and from the stories I’ve heard from colleagues and students, is that our university community rallies around one another when faced with adversity," President Whitfield said in the letter. "We are resilient, and by working together, I am confident that we will emerge as a stronger university."
Ahead of the start of the spring semester on Jan. 16, President Whitfield also revealed the Rebel Recovery Program, which will be the school's latest effort to "enhance safety and security on campus" while also "promoting wellness and camaraderie."
The Rebel Recovery Program will be an evolving program that will revolve around feedback from students and faculty. Both will have an opportunity to vocalize their thoughts about the program during an All-Hands Meeting on Jan. 9, the president's upcoming mental health town hall in late February, as well as other meetings and support services focused on safety and security.
In an effort to address campus security, President Whitfield also announced the creation of a Committee on Campus Security and Safety. This will include more than a dozen faculty, staff, students, and administrators, who will review existing security measures and protocols at all campuses and suggest potential enhancements.
"Our road to recovery won’t be completed overnight, but it will be focused, inclusive, compassionate, and driven by the notion that the safety, security, and well-being of the UNLV family – our employees and students – are our priority," President Whitfield said in the letter.
Beam Hall will also remain closed to the public for the duration of the spring semester.
"Even though we continue to make progress on building repairs in Beam Hall, we also understand the intense emotional trauma that exists for our colleagues who work in the building and for students still recovering from the impact of the Dec. 6 tragedy and its aftermath," Whitfield said.
Whitfield also announced that Faculty Senate leadership will be working on plans for a permanent memorial to honor the lives of Dr. Chang, Dr. Navarro Velez, and Dr. Takemaru.
As winter weather descends on the valley, Whitfield also noted that the UNLV Libraries Special Collections and Archives division would be working with administrators to preserve the impromptu memorials that emerged on Maryland Parkway and the Alumni Amphitheater in the days following the tragedy.
Whitfield shared, "The work of our university, and our recovery, will continue. But we’ll forever remember the colleagues we lost on Dec. 6, and we’ll honor their memory and their enduring legacy in all that we do."
