Law professor Wayne McCormack will lead the task force, which eventually will focus on issues ranging from personal assaults to weapons-related mass violence.

"We will be considering ways to forestall emergencies, to enhance our response capabilities and to communicate with the campus," he said. "All subjects related to security are on the table for consideration, but it is important to realize that this campus already has a very effective security and response system in place."

U. President Michael Young proposed the 12-member, cross-campus task force after this year's Legislature passed a law that allowed concealed-weapons carriers to bring guns on campus, but allowed students to select non-carrier roommates in campus dorms. In exchange, the U., which had previously lost a case in the Utah Supreme Court to ban guns from campus, dropped a pending federal lawsuit.

While the task force has yet to meet, Annie Nebeker-Christensen, dean of students, wants people to know the U. "is a safe place and will continue to be a safe place."

"Other schools have been dealing with these issues for some time, and they've done an excellent job, and so can we," she said. "We want to make students aware of their rights and responsibilities."

As a result of the April shootings at Virginia Tech, the task force also will look for early warning signs of hostile student behavior and provide appropriate counseling. Members will advise the campus community how to alert security if they suspect a student has a weapon and is a threat.

McCormack said the task force also will look into emergency communication methods such as using electronic signs and text messaging.

Various campus groups are reassessing the U.'s emergency response plans to seismic, weather, chemical or technological events that could cripple campus. The task force will communicate with those groups, but will remain focused on campus violence.

"If you look at this as a beginning, middle and end, we want to have preventive measures to identify problems before they occur, have the right responses and facilities in the middle of an emergency and have the right communications and counseling systems in place at the end," he said. "Basically, we're looking at our ability to deal with violence."

smcfarland@sltrib.com