search articles:     from the issue of April 26, 2007           Web site offers emergency information for campus faculty, staff, students Va.Tech attack ripples across UNL  BY TROY FEDDERSON, UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS In the hours after the April 16 Virginia Tech shootings, members of the UNL Police Department pulled together. Gathering in a UNLPD conference room, campus law enforcement personnel dissected the attacks, compared early details against UNL response plans and filled walls of dry eraser boards with notes and potential procedure changes.     CANDLELIGHT VIGIL - Faculty, staff and students gather around Broyhill Fountain for an April 18 candlelight vigil to mark the April 16 Virginia Tech attacks. Photo by Erik Stenbakken/For University Communications. "Our emergency response plans did not come alive because of the incident at Virginia Tech," said Fred Gardy, assistant police chief at UNL. "Our plans were already in place. However, good emergency management plans must evolve and be flexible. You need to use lessons learned in any incident. "We do not Monday quarterback. We take an event like Virginia Tech, look at it and learn from it so we are better prepared to respond here at UNL." Four days after the April 16 review, UNL emergency response plans were put into play. A bomb threat was called into Othmer Hall at 12:05 p.m. Campus police responded, evacuating Othmer Hall, Walter Scott Engineering Center and Nebraska Hall, and cordoning off the area to pedestrians and traffic. While the buildings were being searched, two campus-wide e-mails alerting faculty, staff and students to the threat were issued. University Communications helped Lincoln-area media outlets pass on the details to viewers, listeners and Web surfers. And, by a 3 p.m. press conference, the buildings were cleared and open for regular campus use. "When an incident happens, we don't want people thinking about how they should respond," Gardy said. "We want them to know how they should respond before something happens." While administrators gather experience through two or three tabletop exercises each year (the last two involved a tornado strike on campus and a hazardous material spill during a Husker football game), Gardy said faculty, staff and students should familiarize themselves with campus response criteria. One of the best sources of information is a Web site recently developed to provide resources, tips and ideas on how to prepare and react to various emergency events. Common scenarios such as tornadoes, severe winter weather, fires, and chemical-release events, as well as personal safety threats, are addressed. Guidance is given on how to plan for such emergency events and what to do if they occur. The information can be accessed online at http://emergency.unl.edu. UNLPD is also encouraging departments and individuals to develop emergency response plans. Gardy said departments have the option of consulting with UNLPD on the formation of a plan. Individuals should review the information posted online, and create a plan of their own. An important element of an individual response would be to establish a way to contact family members, including identifying a meeting place in case communications are down. "Don't isolate your plan and concentrate this one unfortunate incident at Virginia Tech," Gardy said. "Review the links online. Take an all-hazards approach to emergency management." Faculty, staff and students can also help with emergency response by reporting what they see on campus. "We would never ask you to jeopardize your life," Gardy cautioned. "But, if you see something, contact us immediately. Assess us of the damage; tell us what you see. Be as descriptive as possible and don't hang up. "At that point, you are the eyes and ears of the police department." On the flip side, don't call emergency numbers or the university switchboard to find out what is happening on campus. "Don't ever call for information in the middle of an event," Gardy said. "Get your information from automated services, such as the UNL Web site. Turn on a radio or television. Use the technology available to you and let our human assets work the incident." The university has a number of communication avenues in place. They include campuswide e-mails; campuswide voice mail; the UNL Today Web page (www.unl.edu); and local media (including the campus radio station 90.3 KRNU). University Communications and UNLPD are also developing "UNL Alert," a computer application that will alert individuals to campus emergencies (see story on Page 1). Also, the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska have started to discuss the creation of a text messaging system to pass along information. "There will certainly be people not contacted for any number of reasons," Gardy said. "But, we try to use as many forms of communication as possible to get the message out. "We're always willing to add something new because, in the end, it's going to be a small investment that will save lives." While UNLPD can increase campus safety through patrols and respond to incidents, the success of UNL emergency response planning hinges on faculty, staff and students getting involved. "The UNL Police Department plays a role in safety on campus, but we are only a part of a larger team," Gardy said. "Every faculty member, staff employee and student is a part of that team. It has to be a collaborative effort for it to work." Tips on Managing Distress Faculty or staff who have strong personal reactions to the Virginia Tech attacks or a need to discuss response from students should follow these guidelines, recommended by the American Psychological Association article, "College and University Students: Managing Your Distress in the Aftermath of the Virginia Tech Shootings" • An individual's response to a crisis is very individualized. We must be careful not to judge another's response, especially if it's different from our own. • Talk about what you are going through. • The thoughts, feelings, and behaviors experienced may be in response to the event at hand as well as previous (and potentially unresolved) events from the past. • In crisis situations, we can help people by engaging in a problem-solving approach. This would include identifying the issues and then going through a step-by-step process to identify possible solutions for resolving the problem. • Let students, faculty, and staff know the resources available on campus. At UNL these include administrative advisers, campus religious workers, staff of the Employee Assistance Program and Counseling and Psychological Services, vice chancellors' staffs, RD/RA's, and their fellow students, faculty, and staff. • A sense of anxiety and panic would be absolutely predictable in response to recent events. There is so much we don't know; trying to find answers to explain such a tragedy is normal. Without available explanations, the attempt to find answers may take on a flavor of desperation and seem frantic in nature. We can help by allowing people to identify and discharge all the questions, fears, and uncertainties going through their heads. Remember, in crisis situations some people may not respond in their typical rational way. • It is often helpful for people to just be with one another during times of crisis. Saying the "right" words isn't the most important thing; feeling connected to people close to you is more important. - From Robert Portnoy, director of Counseling and Psychological Services, University Health Center GO TO: ISSUE OF APRIL 26 NEWS HEADLINES FOR APRIL 26 Va.Tech attack ripples across UNL Confucius Institute Launched Degree completion program students to start in the fall 'UNL Alert' application will be available for emergency updates Collaboration creates DVD, materials on responsible research conduct Elementary school visit expands into 'Nuestra Familia, Nuestra Universidad' Plant scientists uncover immune system clues Scarlet Opinion 732792S37006X