Opinion: Praise for swift response on parking deck

By Lilly Kujawski
Editor

After a suicide attempt from the fourth floor of the campus parking structure occurred in October, 2018, college officials had a tough call to make, one they got right.

The school quickly closed the upper level of the structure. Officials showed deep care and sensitivity for the former student, who was injured in the incident, while also upholding their responsibility to be transparent with students, staff and faculty.

College administrators including Linda Blakey, vice president of student and academic services, and Scott Hilden, chief of Public Safety, were tasked with determining options for the structure moving forward, and promptly made moves to ensure more safety measures.

By early January, fencing was installed to the top deck of the structure, as means to discourage similar attempts in the future.

Sadly, parking structures often attract such tragedies. In particular, parking structures located on college or university campuses have a higher risk of suicide attempts, due to the increased stress on already at-risk populations, according to a 2016 report from the International Parking Institute.

When faced with a difficult situation, WCC responded effectively and swiftly, with conscious effort to make the campus as secure and supportive for students as possible. It’s good to see campus officials work with such care for their students. Well done.

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