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Safety at Manchester College
A
statement about the Virginia Tech tragedy
by
President Jo Young Switzer
As we express our sympathy,
concern and solidarity for the community of Virginia Tech, we also look
to the care and safety of our Manchester College community.
Manchester College has numerous
proactive plans for averting and dealing with myriad emergencies. In
addition to formal emergency procedures, our students and employees
immediately recognize strangers among us. To care for students with
challenges, faculty and staff have developed an effective Early Alert
system that brings competent attention for students who are troubled or
who are struggling academically.
Key campus leaders are
adjusting our emergency procedures in light of what we have learned from
the Virginia Tech tragedy – particularly to ensure our communication
procedures will be immediate and effective. For years, Manchester has
had an extensive system of guidelines to prevent and react to a wide
variety of emergencies, including, but not limited to:
Immediate communication and
coordination with area law enforcement and other agencies are at the
foundation of many of these plans. All procedures have communication
elements, and we are adding even more methods for communication. Persons
who play key roles in enacting these plans have received training for
their duties in the event of an emergency.
In the case of civil
disturbances, we ask students, faculty, and staff to follow these
general guidelines:
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Call Safety and Security at x5999 or 982-5999 or
touch the red button at the many emergency posts on campus.
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Dial 911 or, from an on campus telephone, 9 - 911
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Avoid the area of disturbance
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If the disturbance is outside, stay away from
doors & windows and stay inside.
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Secure areas (lock doors, cover windows as much as
possible, stay low)
For persons who need to talk,
we hope you will begin with campus resources:
For students, your residence hall director
For staff and faculty, Bowen Center counseling
through our Employee Assistance Program 800-342-5653
Manchester College is a
community that communicates. We will remain alert to ways we can improve
that relationship.
Jo Young Switzer
President
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