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News College prepared for emergencies, says ResLife Three-part series explores safety concerns at Mercyhurst College
By Joshua Wilwohl Editor-in-chief Mercyhurst College students have no need to worry about campus safety say Gerry Tobin and Laura Zirkle, the college’s vice president and assistant vice president for student life. The two residence life chiefs said Mercyhurst has an emergency plan ready for any disaster that could occur on campus, such as that which struck Northern Illinois University on Feb. 14 when former graduate student Steven P. Kazmierczak shot 22 people, killing five, and then fatally shot himself. “We certainly have an emergency response protocol that we update,” Tobin said. Part of the college’s update to the plan includes sending campus-wide text message alerts. That program was launched in late August. Tobin said the college continues to evaluate other updates based on certain circumstances. He said the college, like Northern Illinois University, has the capacity to quickly change the Web site to keep the public informed of any crisis. “We have the capacity to immediately get something on the Web,” he said. Tobin also said the college’s residence halls and apartments are always locked to ensure safety of students. But some buildings, such as the Audrey Hirt Academic Center and the freshman residence halls, are open, he acknowledged, but can be locked remotely from the college’s police and safety office. “The big effort is: How do you alert people and can you keep areas secured,” Tobin said. “Unlike a federal government building where you can lock down, …a campus is a small community and we don't have the capacity to guard every entrance.” Zirkle said the residence life staff is highly trained and prepared for any situation that occurs. “The staff goes through extensive training on what to look for,” she said. Tobin said Mercyhurst has a unique community that helps prevent problems before they arise. “The best way is to create a community where there are few people that are unknown and as we break down anonymity…the person who is struggling with issues is not out of concern of getting help,” he said. Zirkle said the college conducts tabletop exercises of the emergency plan with the help of the Mercyhurst College’s North East Institute of Public Safety. “There is a walkthrough of a real scenario such as a student with a gun,” she said. “It helps to step through a timeline of people involved and how such incidents take place.” She said before the Virginia Tech tragedy on April 16, 2007, when student Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people and wounded 25 before shooting himself, Mercyhurst had not even considered such an incident. Zirkle said the college does not need a plan that is as extensive as larger universities such as Pennsylvania State University. “What Penn State needs and what we need really is different,” she said. Mercyhurst’s central core value of hospitality and “Mercy World,” where those within the community have a sense of safety, according to Tobin, is what helps the college feel secure. “(These ideas) provide us with a great sense of security without being naïve,” he said. Tobin emphasized the college will not become a watchful eye. “We’re not interested in becoming ‘Big Brother,’” he said. “And we’re not putting up gates around the college or checkpoints at certain places.” Next week's preview: Police and safety / Erie police Tobin said Mercyhurst College Police and Safety officers are not armed with guns, but he said the college plans to look into the possibility of arming officers. Mercyhurst is the only college in the Erie area whose officers are not armed. “Given the climate of the culture, I think it’s a good question to ask and I think it’s a timely opportunity to discuss,” he said. In two weeks: Profiling a killer
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What's inside Find the destinations Mercyhurst College Police and Safety responded to over the past week.
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The events - in pictures - that occurred on the Mercyhurst College campus over the past week.
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