Keeping our campuses safe

Old Main on the Gustavus Adolphus College campus after the 1998 tornado

Ray Thrower had been on the job as campus safety director just 29 days when a tornado struck St. Peter and Gustavus Adolphus College back in 1998. The mile-wide F-3 tornado damaged all 59 buildings on campus, shattered 80 percent of the windows and uprooted more than 2,000 trees. No deaths or serious injuries resulted — probably because the college was on spring break — but damage was estimated at $50 million.

Thrower, who had come from North Carolina and was more used to hurricanes (“you have time to plan for them,”) rode out the tornado in the bathtub of his apartment. “It was the worst destruction I’ve ever seen in my life,” he said. Since then, Gustavus has had an acute awareness of the need to plan for the unexpected.

In the wake of campus shootings, Hurricane Katrina and other incidents, institutions across the country are re-evaluating their safety and security plans. A nationwide survey by the Midwestern Higher Education Compact assessing the impact of the Virginia Tech tragedy found that most of the 331 two- and four-year campuses that responded have conducted thorough reviews of their policies and procedures.

Thrower is more aware than most of what campuses are doing since he happens to be this year’s president of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA). The organization supports its 1,100 institutional members in making campuses safe and conducive to learning and working.

Thrower was involved in writing the group’s recently-released Blueprint for Safer Campuses (PDF). Here are a few of the recommendations included in that report:

Conduct an assessment that considers the full spectrum of campus threats and vulnerabilities, i.e., natural, criminal, terrorist, accidental, etc. It should guide protective measures and emergency planning assumptions.
Disseminate information to the campus community during emergencies using high technology (Web, e-mail, phone) and low technology (flyers and loud speakers).
Develop a succinct emergency plan in conjunction with local government partners that allows for a coordinated, organized response.

“We’ve made safety a priority and have gotten buy-in from our administrative council,” Thrower said. Gustavus has invested in a multi-layered system called Connect-Ed that has tools for e-mail, Web and phone communications. This summer the campus is installing an indoor and outside public address system manufactured by Advanced Wireless Communications.

Thrower notes that what works in a small, rural community will be different that what works for a larger campus in an urban area. William Carter, III, manager of special projects at the University of St. Thomas, concurs. “We have more than 15,000 people on two campuses to notify in an emergency,” he said.

Although recent incidents around the country prompted St. Thomas to review its plans, Carter said that during some pandemic planning a few years ago “we saw things that needed to be done around policy, equipment and training.” As a result, they’ve re-vamped their emergency response plan and response team and participated in intensive training programs. Last fall the campus implemented a cell phone, voicemail and e-mail emergency notification system and this summer it will unveil a one-stop Web site called UST Cares that will assist St. Thomas community members with all types of safety and crisis issues.

St. Thomas has adopted the National Incidents Management System (NIMS) that was developed by Homeland Security and used during the 35W bridge collapse. “The first officer at the scene is responsible until relieved by a supervisor and the chain of command grows organically to produce a very coordinated response,” Carter said. He notes that the university has developed especially strong relationships with local police, fire and Homeland Security. “Because of their assets, there are situations where they would be more frontline. This calls for very close coordination,” Carter said.

These safety procedures aren’t shelved until there’s a “mega event,” according to Carter. St. Thomas has 45 public safety officers that respond to everything from lockouts, jumpstarting cars and escort requests to dealing with medical emergencies, crime reports and investigations and conducting first aid and other safety training programs for a campus-wide crisis. “We use these response models in routine situations so that they become part of our culture,” he said.

Campus safety leaders at institutions across the state share the hope that Thrower and Carter articulate — that they never need to face many of the situations they plan and train for. “We are trying to be proactive because if you’re reactive, it’s too late,” Thrower said.