When UNLV students return to classes in Frank and Estella Beam Hall in two weeks, it is unlikely to look much different than it did last December — before the building was closed after a shooting that left three professors dead and another seriously injured.
The university has been working for months to remove all traces of the physical damage left by the Dec. 6 shooting, while also making efforts to make students, faculty and staff feel more comfortable in the building and avoid re-traumatization, Musa Pam, assistant vice president for facilities management, said during a press conference on Tuesday. It was the first time the building was open to the public since the shooting.
This fall, 160 courses will be held in Beam Hall, about half the number of courses normally offered. A UNLV spokesperson said each of the courses scheduled in Beam Hall will also be offered in another building on campus to accommodate students who still feel uncomfortable in the facility.
Arnold Vasquez, interim director of University Police Services, Southern Command, and Pam reported on the security improvements made to Beam Hall in preparation for the fall semester. These improvements include:
- Surveillance cameras installed outside the elevators on all floors
- New phones with improved emergency notification functionality that can communicate updates or instructions. The phones are mounted on classroom walls so they are out of the way of teachers.
- Armed security guards on the first and second floors
In addition, the third, fourth and fifth floors, where the teachers’ offices are located, can now only be reached with an access card or key via the staircase or elevator.
The new security measures come with an “increased and heightened presence” of the University Police, who conduct ongoing patrols throughout campus and at special events.
“We are a safe campus,” Vasquez said. “This is an island of safety. We are here to provide that for them.”
UNLV President Keith Whitfield plans to ask the state legislature for $38 million in funding in 2025 for additional security improvements.
But even if these new security measures had been in place before the shooting, Whitfield doesn’t believe they could have prevented the shooting.
“I hate to say that,” he said. “To say that something could have stopped someone who wanted to do something bad is very, very difficult.”
Following the shooting, there were suggestions that UNLV should close the campus to all visitors, but Whitfield has dismissed that idea. During Tuesday’s press conference, he said that not only is it not feasible for an urban research institution like UNLV, but it also “is not as big a deterrent as one would think.”
However, he is confident that the university’s modernization efforts since the shooting will provide peace of mind to students and staff as they prepare for the start of the fall semester.
“We will never forget what happened, but we will – hopefully – put it in perspective so that students can continue to feel safe here and pursue their dreams that will lead to greater opportunities,” Whitfield said.
Vasquez urges individuals to contact police if they see or hear of anything suspicious.
“We’re not going to be bothered by a phone call… so please call us,” Vasquez said. “That’s our job. We come over, we take care of it, we find a solution.”
This story was updated on 8/13/24 at 4:23 p.m. to clarify how much funding UNLV plans to request from the state legislature.
