After the worst school shooting in U.S. history, Oregon State University’s campus community is looking to see what they can learn from the tragedy at Virginia Tech.

Lt. Phil Zerzan of the Oregon State Police said Monday afternoon that he was waiting for accurate, confirmed information on the events that unfolded at the Blacksburg, Va., campus, in order to glean lessons that could be applied to OSU’s safety plan.

“We recognize this was an unbelievable tragedy,” Zerzan said.

Zerzan, who responded to the school shootings at Thurston High School in Springfield in 1998, said one of the most important ways law enforcement deals with potential campus shootings is through education. OSP and campus public safety have a relationship with University Housing and Dining to help encourage students who live on campus to report suspicious activity.

One of the lessons of other school shootings, Zerzan said, is that students need to feel that they’re not betraying fellow students by reporting troubling or erratic behavior, because counselors and law enforcement officials are better able to ascertain if there’s an actual threat, or if intervention is needed.

“After Thurston, we spent a lot of time knocking on doors,” Zerzan said, as people came forward with information on neighbors and acquaintances who were exhibiting odd or suspicious behavior, such as exhibiting an obsession with weapons or making threats.

Sometimes, the report results in getting the person to counseling. Other times, “It puts a person on notice,” that his or her behavior is being observed, Zerzan said.

While he emphasized that he was not implying someone was at fault for not reporting information on the Virginia Tech shooter or other school incidents, he said that prevention is the best defense against campus shootings.

However, law enforcement agencies on and off campus have all been involved in tactical response training, preparing for the event of a shooter on campus. All Oregon law enforcement officers must take “active shooter training,” and receive refresher courses after their initial training.

Every few years, area SWAT members perform tactical training on OSU’s campus that involves other branches of law enforcement. The most recent training took place last summer.

Despite every precaution, campus and law enforcement officials recognize that there is no protective bubble that can descend over OSU.

“It concerns me,” Zerzan said. “I think about it, plan for it and prepare for it.”

Cindy Empey, director of residential life for University Housing and Dining Services, has a lot to think about as well. She said the Virginia Tech shootings have caused her to rethink OSU’s approach to student safety.

“Some of what’s go on (today) made me realize there are things we need to do to make students more safe,” she said.

All residence halls on campus are locked 24 hours a day, and only student residents and staff are supposed to have access to the buildings. However, the system isn’t fool proof.

“Sometimes random people do wander in,” Empey said. Usually, they’re friends of residents.

But because special emphasis is placed on helping staff and students get to know who is living on their floor or in their wing, strange faces usually stand out, Empey said. If a resident spots an unfamiliar face, they’re encouraged to gently find out who they are and why they’re on the floor.

Strangers aren’t always the cause of problems, however. Empey said student staff members living in residence halls, known as resident advisors (RAs) are given special training to recognize students in a troubled state of mind.

Known as the relationship model, Empey said it is “focused on the interaction between student staff members with residents.”

During winter term, RAs ask each student under their watch a series of specific questions aimed at gauging their success, socially and academically, in a campus setting. Since 75 percent of residents are freshmen, it also looks at how their transition from home to school has been going.

The RAs keep a log of answers, and if it appears that some students are having trouble, they might be referred to the counseling center, or be given special attention or help.

Students and staff are all prepped on the university’s emergency response plans, including cases of fires, earthquakes, or crime in progress, which would include shootings on campus. Students are encouraged to lock their doors, stay calm and contact campus safety if an incident occurs within the dorm. They’ve also been prepped on things to look for when witnessing a crime, in order to help law enforcement track down the suspect.

However, Empey said after the Virginia Tech incident, she believes that students need to hear about campus safety plans on a more frequent basis.

Residence halls do not have PA system, and currently students are alerted to emergency situations via e-mail. But Empey acknowledged that students don’t always check their e-mail frequently, or may be away from a computer when an emergency takes place.

Setting off an alarm would be the wrong approach, because it would cause students to come out of their rooms and gather in a central area, exactly the opposite of what they should do in case of an attack. Currently students participate in fire drills, but the university has not implemented a “crime in progress” drill.

Empey said she is considering whether using a text-message alert system might work, as most students have cell phones. She said lessons gleaned from Virginia Tech could guide how the university handles residence hall emergencies in the future.

“We’re going to have to do a little talking,” she said. Empey is part of the Crisis Intervention Response Team on campus, and said it’s likely that the campus shooting issue will be a major discussion point at their next meeting.

“Let’s put some strategies into place,” Empey said.