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President's Office

Student & Administrative Services Center, Rm. 3054 · (570) 326-3761, ext. 7455

Message to Parents

Dear Parent/Guardian:

As the academic year gets underway, I wanted to take a moment to speak with you directly. You and I share a common interest - your son and daughter, who is a Pennsylvania College of Technology student.

I know that when you sent your son or daughter off to Penn College, you did so with mixed emotions. You were full of hope for the future and you had a fair share of concern about what they might face during college years including their safety and security.

Unfortunately, society's problems spill over into every community and every campus. No one is immune from the potential dangers of the 21st century, even in central Pennsylvania.

The Virginia Tech murders reminded us of what can go wrong. Following that tragedy, we at Penn College - along with other college administrators across the nation - reviewed our emergency response plans, discussed how to deal with students in crisis, and implemented new technology to communicate on campus during an emergency.

It is important for you to know that Penn College Police - who are armed and have full powers of arrest - protect our campus 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our officers' top priority is the safety of our campus community, most especially our students.

In addition to our policies and procedures in dealing with campus emergencies, this fall we launched a new PCT Alerts text message notification system and encouraged students to subscribe online at the Student Information System (SIS).

In an emergency, a siren will sound to alert students to activate cell phones and/or computers to check for emergency text and e-mail communications from the College Administration. They should check these messages for initial instructions and cooperate with responders on the scene.

In an emergency, students should look to official communication sources:

We hope that you encourage your son or daughter to subscribe to PCT Alerts.

While it is important to prepare in advance for an emergency, please remember that tragedies like the one that occurred at Virginia Tech are very rare. A recent USA Today article reminds us that the chances of being murdered on campus are about the same as being killed by lightening. That same article emphasized that the lives of college students are much more likely to be threatened by suicide or alcohol-related deaths, such as binge drinking.

We all must do our part to protect students, not only from the rare, violent acts of society, but also from the more frequent, more personal battles against other societal pressures.

Talk to your son or daughter about his/her emotional wellbeing. Discuss the pressures to drink, do drugs, and party. Speak frankly about sexual misconduct.

The health and safety of your sons and daughters matter to us at Penn College. That is why we are committed to ensuring that drug-free/alcohol-free campus policies are enforced.

Urge your son or daughter to keep his/her priorities in mind and find the right balance of education and recreation. It does not make sense to put the party above the real priorities - going to class, doing homework, and participating in student clubs and organizations.

Because students often need help making good choices, we offer on-campus counseling, academic support, and programs to help meet challenges - ranging from free tutoring to drug and alcohol abuse counseling. Encourage your son/daughter to seek help whenever he/she needs it.

At each year's commencement ceremonies, I am reminded that many of our most successful graduates are those who reached out for assistance while they were students. Asking for help is a prerequisite for a successful life.

I appreciate that you and your son/ daughter have chosen Penn College. I pledge to you that we will do our best to earn the trust you have placed upon us.

Sincerely,

Davie Jane Gilmour, Ph.D.
President