Dear Scorpion Family,
As our nation continues to grapple with this week’s event at Uvalde’s Robb Elementary School, our Scorpion family, too, is deeply saddened by the tragedy experienced by our fellow South Texans. It is with heavy hearts that we offer our sincere condolences to all of those impacted in Uvalde and the surrounding communities.
While we collectively work to process the news, I want to remind you of the resources we have in place to protect the safety and security of our campus community, as well as supports for TSC students and employees during this difficult time.
Over the past three years, TSC has implemented several initiatives designed to holistically enhance campus safety. This begins with the TSC Board of Trustees’ $1.8 million investment to update camera surveillance and access control systems, and $800,000 to fund a hybrid security model with Allied University Protection Services and off-duty Brownsville Police Officers to provide a 24/7 security presence. To leverage safety and security expertise, TSC continues to work closely with local, state, and federal partners to enhance our security incident response plan to include a countywide response component. This work includes coordinating full-scale exercises with partners on our campus and collaborative uses of our Incident Command System. This innovative collaboration was recently awarded a 2022 School Safety Spotlight Program recognition from the Texas School Safety Center. Finally, TSC Safety and Security has implemented a crowdsourcing app called LiveSafe, which is a tool that strengthens our campus community’s ability to anonymously report suspicious activity. I encourage you to download the LiveSafe app, if you have not already done so, and choose Texas Southmost College as your primary organization.
We recognize that our campus community may need additional mental health and wellness support during this time. Students may make an appointment to see our campus Counselor, at no cost, or may access mental health services through our community partners. More information about student resources may be found on the Counseling and Student Accessibility Resources web page. TSC employees, who are eligible for benefits, also have access to free, confidential mental health and wellness resources through the Employee Assistance Program.
The past few years have demonstrated the great care and compassion we have for our students and each other, and I know that, together, we will help each other remain Scorpion Strong.
Stay safe, healthy and hopeful,
Dr. Jesús Roberto Rodríguez
TSC President