Emory community reacts to recent safety incidents, new card policy on campus

Content Warning: This article contains references to gun violence.

Beginning on Jan. 21, Emory University plans to implement a new safety policy requiring community members to use their EmoryCard to unlock academic and office buildings on both the Atlanta and Oxford campuses, according to an email statement Emory Police Department (EPD) Chief Burt Buchtinec sent out to the Emory community on Jan. 14. The University is introducing the new policy in response to recent national news, including a shooting at Brown University (R.I.) on Dec. 13, 2025. 

In an interview with The Emory Wheel, Buchtinec explained that he hopes the new policy will deter potential safety incidents at Emory. 

“All of the things that we’re doing are to create layers of safety, to protect our community, whether faculty, staff, students, and even the visitors that come to the patients at the hospitals, and all of that,” Buchtinec said. “All of it is to build layers for safety.”  

Assistant Vice President of the Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response Sam Shartar emphasized that collaboration was vital to forming the policy. 

“The goal of that is to have a dialogue, just feedback, so we can have good conversation,” Shartar said. “It’s not about pointing fingers. It’s figuring out how do we work together to accomplish what we want to get done.” 

Shartar also emphasized that the new changes are meant to improve the campus experiences of students.

“Everything that we have put together in the layers of security all had one goal in mind, and that was to increase the safety of our community, and that’s the driving force behind all of it,” Shartar said. 

Nova Mu (28C) expressed support for the new policy but shared skepticism about its effectiveness. 

“It was a nice measure to take, but a lot of the times, people hold doors for other people anyway, so does it really make a difference if they make it card-access?” Mu said. “But I mean, at least they’re trying.” 

Jun Ryoo (27C) said the recent national events have made him more cautious on campus. 

“The news came out nationwide, so obviously a lot of people are alert right now,” Ryoo said. “I’m still trying to be more aware of my surroundings.”

Similarly, the Student Bar Association (SBA) issued a statement on a recent safety incident at the Emory School of Law in which a community member posted social media comments that caused “concern” and “uncertainty,” according to an email statement from School of Law Dean Richard Freer. SBA is a student organization that supports students and advocates for the “needs of the student body,” according to the statement. 

The statement demands for the University to investigate alleged issues in the security protocol that has been in place since Jan. 11, and provide attendance flexibility to students who feel unsafe coming to campus in light of these safety concerns. 

“If students feel that the environment and culture of our campus actively inhibits their ability to heal, we believe that policy adjustments must be made to support those students until the culture effectively changes,” the statement reads. 

The statement also shared access to other University resources that students can access if needed.

Additionally, on Jan. 16, police responded to a suspicious individual on the roof of the Emory Point CVS near the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. EPD issued an all-clear alert for the emergency later that day, but EPD said the investigation is still active.

Assistant News Editor Eileen Zhu (27Ox) contributed to reporting.

If you or someone you know is struggling in the aftermath of gun violence, you can reach Emory’s Counseling and Psychological Services at (404) 727-7450 on Monday-Friday at 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m or https://counseling.emory.edu/ or the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Disaster Distress hotline 24/7 at +1 (800) 985-5990.