NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — With little discussion during the special session, the Tennessee legislature quietly placed $30 million in its appropriations bill for college safety grants.
Any higher education institution can apply for these grants and they will be provided based on need. These grants will go through the Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration.
"These grants will be used for the same purposes as the school safety grants issued by the Department of Education for public and non-public schools," said Lola Potter, communications director for the Department of Finance and Administration. "The funds may generally be used to support a wide array of school safety efforts that include, but are not limited to, improved physical school security (e.g. perimeter control, access control, vehicle control, visitor management, communications, surveillance, signage, etc.), school resource or school security officer, emergency operations planning, violence prevention programs, conflict resolution, and safety training for staff members."
Here's how colleges are going about this grant funding.
Middle Tennessee
MTSU has various ways for students and faculty to keep up with active threats on campus, according to spokesperson Jimmy Hart.
He said students are introduced to the process during orientation and there is the Alert4U webpage, which includes details about the email notification system that uses texts, emails, calls and social media to share messages in case of an emergency.
"Our fully commissioned and highly trained MTSU Police Department prioritizes having a visible, daily presence throughout our campus to quickly respond to any emergencies and periodically conducts hands-on training on responding to active threats," Hart said. "The department also leads training sessions for the campus community, by request, about responding to threats on our campus."
MTSU said it will apply for the grants.
Lipscomb
Lipscomb University chief of security Jeff Dale said the university has already been notified it will receive some grant money for heightened measures.
The university was unable to relay what those additions were because of security reasons, Dale said.
"While unexpected events could happen at any school across the country, we have a number of measures in place to mitigate these situations from happening in our community," Dale said. "While the Lipscomb security team works diligently to protect our campus, it takes everyone doing their part, such as being aware of potential risks, becoming familiar with emergency protocols and participating in training opportunities to be prepared for unexpected situations."
Austin Peay
At Austin Peay State University, officials said they would apply for additional safety grants, which would provide what they hoped would be lighting and increased cameras. Both are considered primary needs.
"Regarding active shooter scenarios, we have a state-trained police force on our campus that regularly trains for active shooter scenarios," spokesperson Bill Persinger said. "Additionally, our campus police officers provide active-shooter training to our campus community,
Nashville State
Nashville State Community College officials said the school will work with the Tennessee Board of Regents to see what safety upgrades are available and then determine what course of action they want to take.
"The safety of our campus communities is of utmost importance," spokesperson Tom Hayden said. "The college has a visible and accessible presence on campuses and has recently added several police officers to its force."
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University officials said they weren't able to say whether they would apply for funding.
However, in August, school officials announced that they entered into an agreement with a security consulting firm AT-RISK International as part of the university's comprehensive review of its emergency preparedness, particularly for active shooter scenarios.
The university also has a guide for active shooter preparedness for students and faculty.
Alert VU would also notify students in case of emergency.
Students and faculty are also encouraged to download the VandySafe app.
Belmont University, Tennessee State University and Columbia State Community College didn't respond to requests for comment.
