GCSU reacts to bomb threats

     On Friday morning, Nov. 30, 2007 at 9:30 a.m., there was a bomb threat at the Wal-Mart in Milledgeville. Wal-Mart was evacuated, according to a Milledgeville Police Department report.
      There have also been a few other bomb threats and a tornado watches in and around Milledgeville. This has led some to ask questions about how prepared GCSU is in the case of an emergency.
     “I believe we’re well prepared,” stated Dr. David Groseclose, assistant vice president for Human Services & Business and interim director of Public Safety.
     Groseclose referred to an Emergency Management book which is found “on every desk in the university. It has protocol for every event.”
     In regards to protocol, there is also a flip chart manual found in every department which has protocol for almost every major event, from a bomb threat all the way down to a Severe Weather Alert. The actions that need to be taken depend on the situation.
      When asked if students feel safe on campus in the case that an emergency did occur,
     “I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it,” Robin Keene, a senior history major, said.
     This attitude does not surprise Groseclose.
     “At Parents Day (Nov. 3), I had four sessions and only four parents showed up. Parents must not care about their kids’ safety.”
     Groseclose continued. “(There is) a system in place and we are begging people to sign up (to ConnectEd). ConnectEd is a new system brought together by Mr. Groseclose and Mr. Bryan Jackson, director of University Communications.”
     Students who wish to sign up to ConnectEd simply need to log into PAWS and confirm their cell phone number. The process only takes a few minutes.
In the event of an emergency, the Public Safety department will text students’ cell phones and let them know the school will be closing.
     Every student should have received an e-mail within the first week about signing up for ConnectEd. In addition, Groseclose had been passing out flyers to students for three days.    However, out of 5,000 flyers that were passed out, only 600 students signed up for ConnectEd.
     Kelly Payne, a senior General Business major agreed that ConnectEd was a good idea.
      “Yeah, I’m all about that (safety on campus) so, I signed up for it,” Payne said.
     Groseclose also stated that there would be some minor changes regarding Emergency Preparedness at GCSU, including a revision of the manual for faculty and staff and the Environmental Health & Occupational Safety Directorate will be filled as soon as possible.
     Also in response to the Virginia Tech shootings last year, a new position has been approved, and will be added next year—Emergency Preparedness Manager, whose office will be in the Public Safety Building. The EHOS Director will report directly to the Manager.
       “We have a good relationship with the Milledgeville Police Department and Sheriff’s Department,” Groseclose said. “In the event of a bomb threat, there are bomb sniffing dogs in the prison system.”
     Groseclose did agree that students, faculty and staff need to know what to do in the event of an emergency. It’s not just up to Public Safety to call the shots.
     “The plan is only as good as it’s known,” Groseclose said.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Jan 18 2008. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry