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NEWS RELEASE
Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu
)
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466
4/19/2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NATCHITOCHES - Northwestern State University president Dr. Randall Webb said Thursday that NSU officials are reviewing and expanding the school's campus safety and emergency response policies and procedures in the wake of the disaster at Virginia Tech.
"A comprehensive emergency management plan for the university was developed last year, and there have been numerous other initiatives in recent years to create a safer and more secure environment at the institution," Webb said.
"Still," he added, "the Virginia Tech tragedy underscored the need for even more extensive efforts to assure the safety of students, faculty and staff on university campuses, and Northwestern has joined other higher education institutions across Louisiana and the nation this week in evaluating and striving to improve safety and security measures."
Webb said the university's emergency management plan includes the assignment of an incident commander and other personnel to coordinate response to emergencies. He said Northwestern also has an on-campus police force that is being expanded and upgraded.
"We have added officers to the force and have advertised for others," he stated, "and salaries for campus law enforcement personnel are being increased in an effort to attract more highly-trained and qualified officers."
The NSU president said a Criminal Justice academic program at the university "also provides additional resources, personnel and expertise to assist in planning for and responding to emergency situations, and the university has a close working relationship with other local and state law enforcement agencies that provide input and assistance on planning for crises that could occur on campus."
Northwestern has the availability, Webb pointed out, of medical personnel, counselors who are trained to identify and address emotional and behavioral problems and personnel assigned to residence halls and campus apartments to monitor activities and address emergencies.
"Plans are also being developed," Webb said, "to provide increased specialized training for law enforcement personnel, counselors and other faculty and staff members in responding to emergencies and in identifying unusual behavior and other factors that could result in the kind of catastrophe that occurred in Virginia."
Gates have been installed at all five entrances to the university in recent months, Webb said, "and that capability to limit access to the campus enhances safety." He said security cameras, alarms on doors in dormitories and other facilities and gated entries to some residential areas are also beneficial in maintaining security.
Response to emergencies has been addressed in a number of ways, Webb noted, including the development last year of an on-campus 911 telephone system. He said the university also has a campus e mail messenger system for students and faculty, a university website, closed circuit television monitors across campus, a university cable television station, on campus radio station and exterior message boards to provide information in emergencies.
There is also an emergency alert siren system on campus that has not been used in recent years but which will be re-established and expanded to include amplified voice announcements during emergencies, he said.
Webb said the university is also exploring the possibilities of creating a cell phone alert and message system for students, faculty and staff, automated emergency messages to campus telephones and an automated fax communication system to campus offices.
Northwestern has a student and faculty-staff identification card system that is designed to enhance security, and Webb said efforts are under way to determine if the system can be expanded to include ID cards that can be displayed by individuals at all times and used for automated access to some campus facilities.
"There have been numerous discussions among university officials this week on existing and potential resources and capabilities for addressing emergencies," Webb said, "and the governor, Board of Regents for Higher Education and the University of Louisiana System are assisting universities in their efforts to create and maintain safe and secure environments for students, faculty and staff on campuses statewide."
To view Northwestern's Emergency Management Plan, please go to:
http://www.nsula.edu/ehs/emergency%20management%20plan.htm