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Five University administrators gathered with faculty and staff in the Law School Auditorium May 1 to review the campus' emergency procedures in the event of an incident like the shootings at Virginia Tech University or some other disaster.
Bill Hogue, vice president for information technology, moderated the 90-minute meeting during which the five administrators reviewed ongoing efforts across multiple operational areas of the University to protect students, faculty, and staff in a variety of emergency situations.
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| Bill Hogue |
Hogue emphasized the importance of the University's strategic plan for dealing with emergencies. The plan centers on "partnership, collaboration, and preparation," and can be called into play for many circumstances, he said.
In addition to Hogue, other presenters included Ernie Ellis, director of law enforcement and safety; Gene Luna, associate vice president for student affairs; Jane Jameson, vice president for human resources; and Tom Syfert, director of health and safety in the Office of Risk Management.
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| Ernie Ellis |
Ellis reported on the University's Emergency Management Team and the Emergency Plan, which he encouraged all faculty and staff to read. The plan is on the Human Resources Web page and can be accessed by typing Emergency Plan into the search window.
Ellis also reported on the University's Emergency Operations Center, and called attention to the University's Behavioral Intervention Team. The panel of University professionals intervenes with troubled students and refers them to help, guidance, or if appropriate, a leave of absence from the University. "This is an excellent tool and I encourage you to be familiar with it and be involved in it," Ellis said.
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| Tom Syfert |
Tom Syfert encouraged the several hundred faculty and staff members at the meeting to read and print out the emergency plan, which he said contained contingency guidelines for everything from bomb threats to infectious disease outbreaks. He also recommended faculty and staff maintain a copy of the plan for use in an emergency, adding that each department should have its own emergency plan.
Syfert discussed an outdoor notification system of omni-directional sirens and loud speakers that is coming on line at strategic locations around the Columbia campus. The system, the result of a FEMA grant, will be capable of carrying pre-recorded messages or live announcements. It can be used with a similar indoor tone-alert radio network in high density population areas like residence halls and is expected to be operational by August.
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| Jane Jameson |
Another communication system coming on line is a TV screen crawler that will allow the University to send emergency messages across its cable TV system, Hogue said.
Jane Jameson reported on a new service provider for the University's Employee Assistance Program that can help faculty, staff, and their dependents get through a personal crisis or assist with everyday concerns like finding elder care. She also discussed a University background check policy for new employees that she said provides increased vigilance for the campus. The policy was implemented two years ago.
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| Gene Luna |
Gene Luna reviewed a variety of programs and services already in place to help distressed students, noting, "In addition to the plans already developed, we have identified that communication is key for us, and there are several initiatives already in progress to bring us to the next level of multiple delivery systems. What you're seeing is an acceleration of these plans on the heels of the Virginia Tech situation."Hogue emphasized the importance of the University's "tens of thousands of eyes and ears to make our environment safe," adding that "communication and cooperation across various subdivisions of the University is essential."
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