In the wake of last April's tragedy at Virginia Tech, perhaps every university in the country took a hard look at their campus safety, emergency preparedness and crisis communication measures.
Over the past few months, an Emergency Preparedness Committee has met to review and update Saint Mary's plans. The following notes are primarily for the Winona campus, but the basic ideas can apply to other locations.
Our first action was to gather existing plans for our various sites, and make them more visible on the website.
We solicited ideas from faculty, staff and students, and we are considering and acting on them.
The Campus Safety Office is considering a more visible presence, as well as the locations of lighting and emergency phones.
Our Wellness Center staff is adjusting the education of counselors about identifying mental health issues in students and employees, within the framework of the Early Alert procedure. This will also be part of training for hall directors and resident assistants. This fall there will be an inservice for faculty.
Communication during an emergency was a focus of the committee. We examined many options, and decided on a combination of notification methods -- depending on the nature of the emergency. We will utilize email, Campus Safety vehicle sirens, bullhorns, voice mail, and the Clocktower P.A. system. We are also looking into adapted fire alarms.
A local phone company is moving into cell phone service, and believes that they could deliver text messages directly to student, faculty and staff cell phones, regardless of the home service providers. We will continue to investigate this technology. As a first step, cell phone numbers will be collected this fall.
The website would be a primary host for emergency information, and we have checked with our web server to ensure that our site can handle increased traffic.
We continue to look into the physical "locking down" of classrooms and offices. A campus-wide building evacuation drill will take place sometime this fall.
At the Twin Cities campus and other locations, staff is continuing to review and revise their emergency plans. |
Saint Mary's reviews safety and security measures
In the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy on April 16, Brother Chancellor Louis DeThomasis has asked for a review of the university's security plans and crisis communication capabilities. A Committee on Emergency Preparedness has met twice to look at existing measures and to identify new ways to enhance safety and security at our campuses. The committee will continue to meet to recommend action.
Ann Merchlewitz, vice president and general counsel, Bob Conover, vice president for communication and marketing, and Chris Kendall, vice president for student development, lead this committee on the Winona campus. On the Twin Cities campus, Jim Bedtke, vice president for graduate and professional programs, is working with appropriate staff to review safety protocols and precautions for that campus.
Suggestions from the community are welcome.
Make a suggestion for enhanced campus security
What do we have in place (Winona campus)?
Emergency Response Plan
Crisis Communications Plan
Professionally trained security team
24/7 patrolling and security escort service
Controlled access through a single entrance
Surveillance cameras at the entrance
Emergency call phones
24-hour locked residence halls
Close working relationship with emergency agencies
Early Alert (student intervention and support committee)
Email and voice mail communication systems
What are we investigating (Winona campus)?
Updated communication plan for students and the larger community
Residence hall room alert system
Cell-phone alert system
Campus-wide alarm
Enhanced emergency capacity for website
Building lockdown procedures and drills
Education to identify and refer persons to counseling
What do we have in place (Twin Cities campus)?
Security staff
Security escort service
Controlled access to all buildings
Training on personal safety for faculty, staff, students
Special lighting and motion detectors
Communication by email, website, phone call-in
Close working relationship with emergency agencies
What are we investigating (Twin Cities campus)?
Revised campus emergency plan Professional security audit
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