Statement on Campus Tragedies at UVA, University of Idaho
November 14, 2022
This morning we awoke to news of horrific tragedies at two universities over the weekend. A campus shooting left three people dead and wounded two others late on Sunday at the University of Virginia’s Charlottesville campus. Additionally, the police have opened a homicide investigation into the deaths of four University of Idaho students discovered at an off-campus residence, also on Sunday.
Every institution of higher education can empathize with the loss of members of its university family. We are left angry and saddened by the senseless violence. As a parent, I cannot imagine anything worse than for a parent to lose a child. My heart grieves for all of the families. I am an alumna and former faculty member of the University of Virginia, and as a current university president, the safety, security and well-being of all of our students is the highest priority on our campus. Our hearts and thoughts remain with the communities of the University of Virginia and the University of Idaho at this sad and difficult time.
Please know that Stony Brook University has resources available to you. They include:
● Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), which offers free and confidential services to students, including crisis intervention, counseling and consultation services, medication management, and assistance with referrals to community resources.
● The Center for Prevention and Outreach (CPO), which provides students and the campus community with prevention, early intervention, education, and outreach services around public health concerns, including mental health care.
● The Student Support Team, which is set up to connect students with appropriate resources on campus and assist you if you have any challenges or concerns. The team can be reached at (631) 632-7320 or student_supportteam@stonybrook.edu.
● The Employee Assistance Program (EAP), designed to enhance the overall well-being of faculty, staff, and the organization by providing safe, inclusive, and supportive spaces.
● Healthier U, which educates, encourages, and empowers employees to make healthy decisions and lifestyle choices, while enhancing Stony Brook University’s sense of community, and culture of health and wellness.
● Stony Brook Medicine employees can access a list of services available to them
on the homepage of ThePulse. In addition to EAP and Healthier U, resources for those
employees include spiritual and health care teams, support hotlines, daily mindfulness
meditation sessions, and Resilience at The Brook offerings.
Maurie McInnis
President