News

DSU recap of February 10, 2012

Marie Moe, Director Of University Relation 701-483-2560 Marie.Moe@Dickinsonstate.edu

The following is a timeline summarizing the events of February 10, 2012:

This morning, Dickinson State University president Dr. D. C. Coston and North Dakota University System chancellor William Goetz met with the press to discuss the results of an internal audit that was officially finalized today.

Following the press conference, DSU faculty and staff convened to discuss the impacts of the audit with Dr. Coston. Immediately following this meeting, DSU officials were alerted by the Dickinson Police Department that an individual associated with DSU had been missing for nearly six hours and was believed to have a weapon. Upon receiving this information, the university convened the crisis management team to begin implementation of the emergency management plan. It is DSU’s policy to close campus whenever there is a potential threat to the safety of our faculty, staff and students.

Student meetings that were scheduled with the president at 1 p.m. MST were interrupted when the emergency management plan was implemented. The president notified the students in person that the campus emergency management plan had been activated and asked them to return to their residences immediately.

Messages were sent to the entire campus community via the Notifind system shortly thereafter. Approximately 1:45 p.m., Dickinson Police Chief Dustin Dassinger arrived on campus and met with DSU officials to inform them that the missing individual had been located and the threat to DSU was resolved. DSU officials then notified the campus and the media that the threat had been resolved, that the campus would remain closed for the day and that classes would resume on Monday, February 13, 2012.

The meeting with the students of Dickinson State will be reconvened early next week to allow them the opportunity to meet with the president.

This afternoon, we also learned of the untimely death of Dr. Doug LaPlante, dean of the College of Education, Business and Applied Sciences.

“We lost someone great today,” said Deryl Matthew, DSU student body president. “He always had a smile on his face and a greeting for everyone he encountered throughout the day. Dr. LaPlante will be deeply missed by the DSU family.”

“We understand the events of today have been dramatic and we wish to assure each student’s safety is our top priority,” said Dr. D. C. Coston. “It had been our intent to meet with students this afternoon to discuss the findings of the internal audit. Yet, I was impressed with how the campus community pulled together today and I have confidence that students and the rest of the community will continue to take care of each other.”

“In the next few weeks there will be rumors, fabrications and fairy tales being spread around,” said Scott Poswilko, DSU student senator and ambassador. “It would be best if students did not fuel this fire or make hasty generalizations about all international students. It is a time when standing united as Blue Hawks is what we need to do rather than divide our campus any more than it needs to be. I am proud to be a Blue Hawk!”