Virginia Tech has expanded emergency services in the years following April 16, 2007 through grants from the federal government.
Ellen Plummer, assistant provost and director at Tech, has overseen much of the federal funding the university has received over the past two years. She cited two main grants from the Justice Department that Tech received in fall 2008 for security efforts.
The Byrne Funds grant, received in early fall 2008, goes toward equipment for the Virginia Tech Police Department as well as the safety and security efforts coordinated by the Emergency Management office and the VTPD.
The Office for Victims of Crime allocated the second grant, which supports victim services across the university and for the Office of Recovery and Support, Plummer said.
Both grants have made significant contributions to Tech's ability to respond to a variety of needs, from salaries and benefits of new personnel to other safety options in residence halls and classrooms.
"All of these grants are being used by offices across the university to help respond to mid and longer-term needs generated by the shootings.
With the exception of the Byrne Funds, significant grant funds are used for personnel in many offices," Plummer said. "It is also used to support training, the purchase of training materials, and to support outreach and education. A good portion of the work provided by the Office of Recovery and Support is funded by the OVC grant."
Plummer would not comment on the amount of either grant.
Cook Counseling Center has also since added more counselors and case managers. The hiring of case managers intended to address criticism as far as internal communication on April 16.
Compared to the previous two years prior to April 16, the number of student appointments made went up more than 50 percent. Since April 16, the number of student walk-ins Cook received inflated to 38 percent.
Dr. Christopher Flynn is the director of Cook Counseling Center.
"I think that there are a couple things that have made more money be spent. The whole community was shaken by the event, so there is naturally going to be a dramatic increase in appointments made and number of students coming in," Flynn said.
"The university has responded by allowing us to hire more staff members. That's the most obvious change. The visibility of the center was heightened in the aftermath," Flynn said.
"The university has made a substantial commitment to the counseling center and to increase our resources," Flynn said. "Everyone has been extremely responsive to the mental health needs of Virginia Tech students, and we are grateful."
Larry Hincker, university spokesman, says that an additional case manager and six full-time counselors add to the fleet of services that were already offered to students even before the tragedy.
"They are to follow through on students who need assistance in any way, whether it's serious help or it's ensuring that someone gets notifications back to professors when a student will be gone for an extended period of time," Hincker said.
In the aftermath of April 16, two organizations received much attention. The Care Team always existed, and its role is similar to that of case managers.
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