Key Steps Of Strengthening Campus Crisis Response Plan

By Michelle Stone


Safety is a primary concern in areas that experiences high traffic of people on daily basis. Campuses are highly exposed to disasters such as fire, terrorist attack, disease outbreaks, and violence. The administrators are tasked with responsibility of ensuring efficient response plan and measures have been put in place to manage the crisis and their effects. A stable campus crisis response plan can be developed when the type of disasters that are likely to occur are thoroughly studied and appropriate strategies for dealing with them implemented.

Once sources of crisis are identified, a plan for countering them can be developed. Disease outbreak is a crisis that arises in many campuses due to the high number of people sharing amenities such as washrooms, dining halls, and hostels. To eliminate water-borne diseases, the administrators should ensure the water availed to the students has undergone proper treatment. The security personnel must be equipped with modern equipment and tools to check vehicles that get in or out of the campus. That way, the college will be protected from terrorism activities. Organizing competitions and introduction of cultural exchange programs is recommendable.

A recent study has established that a correlation exist between emotional health and increase in violence in college. Therefore, a well-equipped medical facility must be available within the college environment. An experienced team of medical experts should manage the health facility. They should store medical histories of each student, teaching staffs, and non-teaching staffs, and teaching staff and retrieve them when necessary. Students dealing with mental complications should be treated when psychosis symptoms begins to manifest.

Cost-effective strategies for dealing with emergence must be incorporated in the response plan. Installation of alarm systems and communication devices in dining halls and hostels is important. That way, in case a crisis occurs, information can be delivered to the relevant authority on time. The installed devices must utilize modern technology and operate effectively. The administrator should liaise with the relevant authority to ensure incidence are handled before they become complex.

First aid courses should be included in the syllabus. The employees, students, and other stakeholders must be equipped with relevant life-saving tactics. Organizing conferences or seminars to train the students and employees on effective response tactics to minimize tension in case an emergency occurs is vital.

The relationship that exists between the community and the campus determine the rate of violence. A weak relationship translates to increased rates of student-community conflicts and violence. Therefore, the college must involve both the students and employees in carrying out community initiatives. The campus should financially support community projects.

Students must be involved actively in managing affairs of the college. For instance, a student leadership body should be tasked with responsibility of championing the rights of other learners. The student leaders must be trained to function as a bridge between the administrators and other learners.

The tactic used to pass information from the management level to students matters a lot. Improper communication will increase tension even when the crisis is minor. A clear communication should follow protocols to eliminate confusion and conflict.




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