NORFOLK, Va. — The Old Dominion University Faculty Senate, which two days prior to the deadly campus shooting at Constant Hall had issued a vote of no confidence in university President Brian Hemphill, has resurfaced a 2024 faculty email about safety concerns in the building that houses the Strome College of Business.
The 2024 email from a member of the faculty, whose name is redacted, was sent directly to Hemphill, and discusses a specific safety incident and concerns over the security of the building and its classrooms.
The Faculty Senate now alleges that the concerns with the door lock systems in Constant Hall had not been addressed by March 12, 2026, when online student and convicted felon Mohamed Bailor Jalloh entered a classroom and shot and killed ROTC instructor Brandon Shah.
In an interview with WTKR News 3 Norfolk reporter Jay Greene Thursday afternoon, ODU Chief Marketing Officer Kimberly Osborne called the senate's actions disrespectful to the victims and the campus community.
"For faculty and staff to blur the lines and try to connect an act of terrorism to leadership is unprofessional," Osborne said. "They're using a terrorist attack to further their own agenda."
R. Murry Pitts, rector of the ODU Board of Visitors, also issued a written rebuke of the Faculty Senate for connecting the two events — and calling their claims of leadership inaction "categorically false."
A Vote of No Confidence
On March 10, the Faculty Senate passed a vote of no confidence in President Hemphill after plans were announced to condense online courses to eight weeks.
The Board of Visitors continued to back Hemphill through that vote.
“The vote taken today represents one viewpoint within the broader University community, but it does not override the responsibility entrusted to the Board of Visitors and the administration to ensure the long-term competitiveness, strength, and sustainability of this institution,” the board wrote on March 10.
At the time, the senate told News 3 they were not opposed to the online course change, but how it will be carried out — adding that the change felt rushed.
Debate over Shared Governance
But now two weeks after the deadly shooting in Constant Hall, the Faculty Senate has used the 2024 safety concern to reignite its issues with Hemphill's leadership.
"The shooting reflects yet another instance of the pattern of irresponsible mis-management of university operations and disregard for faculty concerns that forced the Faculty Senate to pass a vote of no confidence in the first place," wrote Senate Chair Corrin Allen, an associate professor in the School of Speech-Language Pathology.
At the core of the matter, Allen told Greene in an interview Thursday afternoon, is the senate's feeling that the administration is not "participating in shared governance."
"Shared governance is about shared decision making," Allen said, invoking a Google AI definition of the term. "Whereas it seems that the administration sees it's more about listening and then making a decision."
Osborne portrayed a different view of shared governance. "Shared governance is not shared decision-making, but getting input from those across this campus," she said.
Osborne continued to assert Hemphill's commitment to active listening and engaging with the community.
The Board's Response
In his response, Rector Pitts admonished the Faculty Senate and called their actions "disgraceful."
"The attempt to conflate a horrific act of violence with unrelated institutional matters—and to leverage that tragedy to advance a separate agenda—is inappropriate, unprofessional, and fundamentally misaligned with the values of this University," he wrote.
Pitts included an attachment with the original email from the redacted faculty member, and responses from Hemphill, and ODU Chief of Police Garrett Shelton. Shelton appeared to respond to the faculty member in email after a direct meeting with suggestions on how to enhance safety measures in classrooms.
Shelton shared images of reinforced door lock systems, and the faculty member acknowledged in a follow-up email that he had addressed the concerns and taken them seriously.
Pitts then expanded on the following points:
- Chief Shelton responded promptly to the faculty concern
- Security enhancements "could not be implemented due to mandatory fire code and life-safety compliance requirements."
- Active shooter training was made available.
- A safety assessment of Constant Hall was completed and "identified items were addressed through coordinated efforts across various teams."
When asked Thursday whether the security measures in Constant Hall were adequately addressed by the university, Chair Allen said the incident speaks for itself.
"[Jalloh] walked into a classroom, and without any barrier to that, and asked if it was an ROTC class," Allen said. "There was no locked door. There was no warning. I think that sort of speaks for itself."
Read the original email exchanges over Constant Hall safety, the Faculty Senate's concerns, and the Board of Visitors' response.
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