samedi 28 mai 2016

How To Strengthen Campus Crisis Response Plan

By Michelle Stone


Every campus is open to crisis. However, once a crisis has occurred the administrators are judged by their actions prior to the incident, their response, and their follow-up immediately the incident was over. In order to come up with a strong campus crisis response plan, the administrators should gather information about learners who are at risk of harming themselves or other students. When the plan is implemented, the number of suicides and violence are significantly reduced.

Before developing a plan to respond to emergency, identifying the crisis that are likely to occur and their source is a wise move. Since the colleges host many people, chance of disease outbreaks are high. Most of them do not have enough security personnel, hence making them right candidate for terrorist attack. A large number of student of diverse origin attend the colleges for their higher education, in case there is no plan to integrate them through competitions divisions can exist. Activities of students or employees who have mental-related issues must be monitored closely.

Findings of a recent study indicate that the escalation of violence in colleges can be attributed to increase in emotional health issues. A healthcare center equipped with sophisticated equipment, trained personnel, and other infrastructure should be present within the campus. The facility must possess a quick response to emergency and deal with issues that are likely to affect students dealing with psychological traumas or mental illness. When such students are not attended to, they can inflict self-harm or harm others.

A good response plan should incorporate cost effective tactics for handling emergencies. The dining halls, hostels, and classes must be installed with efficient communication systems and alarms. The communication devices will be used to report disasters to the authority and alert people residing within the campus. The communication and security devices must utilize modern technology and function effectively. Installing outdated devices such as CCTV cameras compromises the lives of people living within the campus. Creating a response team comprised of highly trained and equipped professionals is a wise move.

Both the students and staffs should be trained on how to carry out first aid by incorporating it as a course in the syllabus. Alternatively, both the students and employees can be sponsored to attend paid conferences and workshops. Immediately after a crisis has occurred, experienced professional should counsel both the students and staff. The school must have a clear plan for responding to emergency. Introduction of class outreach program is a wise decision.

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.

An effective communication procedure must exist to reduce panic and create awareness. The campus administration should train both the students and employees on how to pass information about a crisis without causing tension. Relaying messages through loud speakers is effective than placing notices on the notice board.




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