Talking Stick - March/April 2018 - 14

JUST IN

Emergency Awareness
Tested in Hawai'i
On January 13, 2018, at 8:07 a.m. (12:00 p.m. EST), the state of Hawai'i
received an alert indicating an imminent Intercontinental Ballistic Missile
(ICBM) attack. For the next 38 minutes, the University of Hawai'i at Manoa
campus was moved to action, responding to an event many previously considered only in the abstract. While the alert was eventually found to be false
and a complete accounting of why the alert was sent is still being debated, the
responses during that 38-minute window were very real. What followed was
a mix of reactions from students and staff that revealed a lot regarding the
soundness of their emergency preparedness planning and how their students
react in a crisis.
Responses tended to fall into three broad categories: not acknowledging
the alert (some people never looked at their phone, slept through the whole
situation, etc.), dismissing the alert outright, and responding with some action. By and large, the students who chose to respond did so with a semblance
of order and care for one another that was truly encouraging. Staff learned
that students pay more attention to building signage than they give them
credit for, as hundreds of them began moving quickly to several buildings on
campus that still bore "Fall Out Shelter" signs from the 1960s. Unfortunately,
none of those buildings still serve that purpose. As they hurried to buildings
on campus they perceived as shelter, they kept to sidewalks and crosswalks.
Cars were observed pulling over to pick up strangers who were having trouble
walking. Resident assistant staffs communicated with supervisors and each
other in group chat apps, seeking guidance and passing along information.
Slowly, information began to trickle in that the alert had been a mistake. Many
seemed to find out from Twitter first, an odd signpost of the times showing
where students look to first for information.
In the weeks following the alert, one of the most consistent student
requests has seemed to be clearer information on how to respond. Guidance
from campus emergency management is to shelter in place in the interior of
the building, information that originally went to students, faculty, and staff in
a PowerPoint email attachment mid-fall semester. Most criticized the email as
being alarmist. The old "Fall Out Shelter" signs were subsequently removed
on January 14th. More polished and concise emails have gone out to students,
faculty, and staff encouraging them to get indoors, move to interior locations,
and avoid the top and bottom floors of buildings when sheltering in place.
General advice on maintaining an emergency preparedness kit has also
gone out, information that many students seem to have taken an interest in.
Many talked about feeling unprepared and have started taking steps to assemble emergency supplies such as bottled water, first-aid kits, and non-perishable
food. The most profound effect of the whole situation seems to be how it has
removed the taboo of talking with students about major disasters and the need
to be educated on how to prepare and respond.
- Jesse Singleton

TALKING STICK

Res Halls Are
Going to the
Dogs and Cats
Lyon College in Batesville,
Arkansas, will be introducing petfriendly housing to its campus
in the upcoming 2018-19 school
year. Both dogs and cats will be
allowed to live in one of the residence halls, where 20 spots will
be available next year and more
will open in the future. Lyon
will offer pet obedience courses
during the school year and a
pet blessing event each October.
The college will welcome pets all
over campus, including the new
coffee shop and study area where
owners will be able to not only
purchase food for themselves, but
also treats for their pets. Plans
also include a fenced-in dog park.
The director of campus life
at Lyon, Kimberly Hinds-Brush,
believes that students will love
having more animals on campus
and that this new addition to
on-campus housing is an exciting
and positive change. Overall,
Lyon College believes that allowing pets to come to campus will
create a better residential community and that a pet-friendly
residence hall will help students
cope better with stress and become more productive.
- Johana Langova

Talking Stick - March/April 2018

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