Liz Bosarge

Reporter

On Oct. 7, The W Staff Council hosted a meeting for all faculty and staff members to review campus emergency situations.

MUW Chief of Police Danny Patton spoke about several emergencies that could occur on campus, how to deal with each type of situation and what to do to help make campus safer.

Patton mentioned that it is important to be aware of your surroundings and identify potential problems. Preventing problems is impossible, but using common sense can help lessen the chance of something happening. He also mentioned that it is important to notify campus police if you notice any unusual activity on campus.

"I thought it was a really good meeting," said Sally Mangum, administrative assistant to the departments of communication and theatre at The W. "I'm glad we had the discussion and thought it was what we need to hear about the new ways of dealing with emergency situations on campus."

The campus will also have a lock-down drill in November. A lock-down means that when the alarm goes off, everyone who is inside must barricade and lock the doors to the rooms they occupy. The drill will help to identify issues of concern and where improvement is needed.

"It is important to identify our weaknesses," said Patton. "We will identify people in each building who are responsible for locking down each building."

In the event of bad weather, the crisis app and The W alerts will direct you to the safe places on campus. In other emergency situations, they will let everyone know to exercise caution as you resume your normal activities when the drill or emergency is over.

"It makes me feel better knowing that we are paying attention to these things and trying to come up with plans," said Melanie Freeman, director of human resources at The W.