A message to students, faculty, staff, parents and the community
The tragedy at Virginia Tech has raised concern at campuses around the nation, including Fresno State, about communication procedures for providing information and contacting students, faculty and staff in emergencies.
No community is completely safe from such incidents, but it is possible to lessen their likelihood. Along with the efforts of front-line staff, we all can play a role, from being aware of what is going on around us to keeping an eye out for others who may need assistance. It’s also important to know where to get information during an emergency.
At Fresno State, we use the following methods to distribute and receive information:
1. Building safety officers. Each campus building has a designated safety officer (or officers), who personally notifies occupants of an emergency or need to evacuate. Emergency plans include established building evacuation procedures and sites for assembly away from the building. That information is available at www.csufresno.edu/police/emergency.htm.
2. Messages are posted on the university Web sites and the student Web portal, www.csufresno.edu, www.fresnostatenews.com and http://my.csufresno.edu.
3. The campus emergency radio station (1040 AM)
4. Fresno State’s emergency telephone hotline (559.278.4000)
5. Mass e-mails to students.
6. E-mails to the campus community.
7. Portable electronic signboards located at the entrances to campus.
8. Distribution of news and announcements to area news media, who provide important alerts and updates about campus emergencies.
Vigilance and mutual regard are our allies in maintaining a safe and healthy campus community. Emergencies can be reported by dialing 911 from any campus phone. There are also 57 blue-light emergency phones and 50 other emergency phones in elevators and buildings on campus that automatically connect directly to University Police.
We suggest you add the University Police main phone number – 559.278.8400 – into your cell phone.
Fresno State also is looking into a cell phone message system. Following the shooting incident on our campus last fall in which, thankfully, no one was injured, campus police and public safety officials met with two potential vendors to establish such a service. The service would send a message to voluntarily registered cell phones.
Public safety also is evaluating use of LCD signboards on major buildings.
The University Police Department and campus public safety officials will study procedures and policies at Virginia Tech to learn from this tragedy. Our police chief, David Huerta, plans to travel to Virginia Tech as debriefing sessions are held for law enforcement.
The safety of our students, staff and faculty is, of course, our most important concern. As we join in mourning the unimaginable losses at Virginia Tech, we are determined to make whatever improvements may be necessary to protect everyone.
We invite your questions and concerns on this issue. Contact Amy Armstrong in University Police Department at amarmstrong@csufresno.edu or Shirley Armbruster in University Communications at shirleya@csufresno.edu.
