SALT LAKE CITY — In the aftermath of the assassination of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, a new report recommends changes to safety and security measures at all of Utah's public colleges and universities.
On Friday, the Utah System of Higher Education — the entity that oversees the schools — approved a report and recommendations for policy changes and security upgrades.
"We want the higher education community to know that our leaders, our law enforcement, emergency management professionals all worked together to develop this," said USHE Board Chair Amanda Covington. "So we have great insights and recommendations in support of enhanced campus safety across the entire system."
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The report identifies more than 25 things that can be improved on all campuses. It includes more standardized methods for evaluating and providing security for on-campus events and better information sharing about pending threats.
"Here’s an opportunity for us to get together, to be able to share information in real-time but also as we work on best practices, to bring us all up in the level of safety and security that we can provide for our communities," said University of Utah Department of Public Safety Chief Keith Squires, who helped author the report.
It also recommends better coordination between campus policing agencies and law enforcement agencies and private security in the broader community.
"Even at the University of Utah for a football game, we rely on being able to bring in police officers and security personnel from other departments to support us so we can flex," Squires told FOX 13 News in an interview. "And that’s the same even for the rural areas."
Students and faculty will be required to conduct regular trainings on safety and security as part of the report's recommendations.
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But the University of Utah is not Snow College. USHE is hoping the new system of information sharing and standardized methods of alerts and response to problems will lift everyone.
"What we did learn is everybody’s doing some things well," said USHE Commissioner Geoffrey Landward. "Some institutions are doing exceptional work. That work could be to the benefit of the other institutions."
Some, like Snow College President Stacee McIff, see opportunity.
"A school like ours is pretty small and we don’t have all of the resources that the larger schools have," she told FOX 13 News on Friday. "We are excited about the recommendations and how we can kind of beef up and accelerate some of the work we’re doing with campus safety."
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But Salt Lake Community College President Greg Peterson raised concerns in the USHE meeting after the report was presented.
"There are some recommendations that we do not currently have capacity or funding for," he pointed out.
USHE intends to seek at least $5 million from the Utah State Legislature to hire a statewide campus safety coordinator and security fixes for each school. Commissioner Landward said he hoped the public largely won't notice much changes.
"If it’s working? People don’t know that it’s working," he said. "What people will see is there’s more training, there’s going to be more opportunity to practice."
Last week, Utah Valley University released its long-awaited report examining issues surrounding the assassination of Charlie Kirk. It found some inconsistencies in law enforcement and university response to the murder, but concluded that "at no time during the events leading up to the assassination of Charlie Kirk, or in its aftermath, did any employee or agent of UVU act in bad faith or in willful and wanton disregard for the safety of others."
Read the report here: