President's Message About Planning for the Stockley Verdict

09/14/2017

Dear members of the SLU community,

Various news sources have reported that St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Timothy Wilson will make an announcement in the matter of the trial of former St. Louis Police Officer Jason Stockley, who stands accused of murdering Anthony Lamar Smith after a police chase in 2011. If the announcement is the Judge’s verdict, it is expected that national attention will once again be focused on St. Louis, as similar cases have brought it to other major cities across the country.

Regardless of the ruling, as members of the St. Louis community, we must face the reality that our city and our region still have much to do in addressing the issues of race, especially involving the criminal justice system. We have a cross to bear in that endeavor.

Plans are in place for the law school, our North and South campuses, SSM Health SLU Hospital, and SLUCare. If their security is challenged, we will act appropriately, and we will actively communicate with our SLU community to provide the latest information.

Whether you are on the North campus, the South campus, a clinic location, or the Law School located near the Carnahan Courthouse, the security and well-being of our students, faculty, clinicians, staff and patients will be carefully monitored.

I would like to share with you some details of our planning efforts.

• Our intention is to operate as normal unless circumstances dictate otherwise. We will not be motivated by fear or unfounded rumors. We do, however, understand that it may not be possible to get into our law school because streets may be impassable. Dean Johnson and his staff have plans in place to deal with this possibility and have communicated plans to our Law School community.
• Our Department of Public Safety will station additional officers at our Law School and on our North and South campuses. You will see their presence on campus. For emergencies or safety issues, please call DPS at 314-977-3000.
• I will be on campus with University leadership, continuously monitoring any situation that may unfold. We have a detailed communication plan in place to keep our SLU community informed. Here are the places we will provide updates on the day of the verdict and thereafter:
  • The SLU Emergency Status web page (https://www.slu.edu/about/safety/campus-emergency.php)
  • The SLU Official Facebook and Twitter accounts.
  • University-wide emails.
  • The University SNOW LINE (314) 977-SNOW (7669), which will provide status updates for all St. Louis campuses.
  • The University’s Live Web Cams can be accessed at any time by visiting https://www.slu.edu/webcam.
  • If necessary, emergency communications will be sent first via the University’s RAVE alert system. If you have not signed up to receive these alerts go to https://myslu.slu.edu/index.php to do so.
• An Information Call Center will be set-up when the verdict is announced to answer questions and provide updates about our campuses. The call-in number is 1-800-758-3678. Please press “0” when your call is answered and you will be transferred to a SLU representative who can direct your call. Representatives will be available for extended hours on the day of the verdict – and beyond, as necessary.
• The University will hold dialogue sessions about the verdict and about any protests for all who wish to attend. A schedule will be available.

I greatly appreciate your attentiveness to this matter and your trust in the leadership of the University and one another.

Sincerely,

Fred P. Pestello, Ph.D.

President