Before the Cole Hall shooting, NIU already had an emergency plan in place.

The plan was being developed before the Virginia Tech shooting and is constantly updated. The first NIU Emergency Guide was completed and distributed throughout the university on Sept. 6, 2007.

Under the tab for “Violent Crime In Progress,” the guide gave a suggested plan of action.

The guide suggested exiting the building as the most effective action. If unable to exit the building, the guide suggested to go to the nearest room or office; then once in the office to close and lock the door and cover the windows.

Both plans of action inform students to notify 911 as soon as they are secure.

Other parts of the plan were not included in the Emergency Guide but were deployed by NIU.

An alert message sent out by the university to students and staff was a predetermined part of the plan, NIU President John Peters said during a Thursday night news conference.

Also, the NIU Web site was updated and will continue to be updated, as more information becomes available, Peters said.

Prior to the Cole Hall shooting, the NIU community was already actively discussing the possibility of an attack on the campus.

NIU held a panel on Jan. 16, 2008 to inform the university community about the Dec. 10, 2007 threat and what the university would do in the event of an attack.