This week our nation experienced a horrible tragedy that has colleges and universities across the globe asking how prepared we are to respond to such an event. I want to take this opportunity to express my sincere regret for the loss endured by Virginia Tech and the university’s families, and would like to assure the ACC community that the safety of our students, faculty, and staff is a top priority.

We have a crisis management team that meets monthly to review emergency procedures and attend emergency response training. Currently our team is evaluating all of ACC’s emergency procedures that can be found . We encourage all students, faculty, and staff to take a moment to review our safety protocols.

The college also employs a full-time police force that works closely with local emergency management agencies including the Austin Police Department, Austin Fire Department, and Travis County EMS. Our police officers have continuously undergone training that will assist them in responding to a violent event on campus.

I ask our community to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to campus police at 223.1231 for non-emergencies; during an emergency please call 222 (on campus) or 911 (off campus).

In the event of an emergency, the college will post up-to-the-minute information , put a recorded message on our hotline at 223.7000 and keep the local media well-informed.

I know that there may be members of the ACC community who were deeply touched by the sad events on April 16. For students who wish to talk with someone about the incident, counselors are available to help at each ACC campus. .

On behalf of the Austin Community College District family, I offer my heartfelt condolences to members of the Virginia Tech community. Our thoughts and prayers are with those lost, their families, and friends.

Stephen B. Kinslow, President/CEO
Austin Community College District