Dear Members of the TC Community:

The shooting that took place at the subway station in Brooklyn this morning is deeply unsettling. Based on NYPD reports, sixteen individuals have been admitted to hospitals with injuries, ten with gunshot wounds. We extend our support and sympathy to anyone who has been directly affected by this terrible incident.

For all of us, such indiscriminate violence shakes our sense of safety to the core. If you need support or a place to talk, I encourage you to make use of TC and Columbia’s available mental health services (see respective links for students and employees) and spiritual resources.

Several subway lines have been suspended or partially suspended due to the incident and I understand that this may have had an impact on commuting to class or to work for members of our community. Provost Rowley and I are asking faculty and instructors to reach out to their students directly with information about whether this will affect the modality of their classes this afternoon or evening. We also ask faculty to make Zoom accommodations for students who are unable to get to campus due to suspended service or because they do not feel comfortable taking the subway.

Similarly, employees who are affected should contact their supervisors with any issues regarding commuting.

While the TC and Columbia Offices of Campus Safety have no jurisdiction over or presence in our subways, I want to remind you of the safety resources that we do have for traveling in the immediate vicinity. Free Via shuttle service is available to community members as an alternative to walking alone at night. To access the service, download the Via app and apply CU’s unique promo code which is updated for each academic term. The service runs until 3:00 am each night, and you can check this calendar for start times. Please also be sure that you are signed up to receive notifications from the TCAlert system, which informs the community about immediate threats to safety in and around the TC campus.

I know that New York City and State officials are drawing on all available resources to identify and arrest the perpetrator and no doubt they will be taking strong measures to enhance safety and mitigate the possibility of any such future incidents. We will keep you updated if there are any relevant developments.

Thank you,

Thomas Bailey
President, Teachers College