University reforms emergency policy

By Christopher DaCosta

To ensure maximum preparedness in the case of terrorist acts in the Bay Area or the Santa Clara community, University Operations has reviewed and restructured the campus emergency plan in March due to the recent national alert on terrorism.

However, some students remain skeptical that disaster procedures will significantly impact their safety.

"It is comforting to know that there is an emergency plan in place," said junior Trisha Chang. "Yet, in the event of a random terrorist act, I question how effective our measures of preparedness will be."

University Operations Assistant Vice President, Joe Sugg, said that the campus emergency plan has been well drafted to account for natural and unnatural occurrences.

Sugg said that the basis of the emergency plan has mostly been directed toward preparation for intense seismic activity of such magnitude that the community would be required to sustain itself for 72 hours.

"That is the baseline for our plan because that sort of situation includes not having light or power, not having water, not having natural gas and our buildings being uninhabitable," Sugg said.

Using that notion as the bedrock for emergency protocol, the operations department added the various effects of terrorist acts and other man-made emergencies to the equation.

"We have gone through a number of different possible scenarios," Sugg said. "From chemicals spills, biological matters, to students simply refusing to go to class."

Initial responses to each scenario are cataloged into a series of "preplanning checklists," that serve as tentative blueprints of sorts for dealing with specific events.

"The university also has its own emergency structure and it includes a policy group; they determine what to do," said Sugg. "At the time of a crisis, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) makes quick decisions and applies the resources."

Additionally, the comprehensive nature of the emergency plan sees that various campus organizations function to contribute to the welfare of Santa Clara community members.

"We have 18 different action plans that are associated with the overall campus plan. Bon Appetit has a plan for feeding the campus for three days without any electricity or gas, Media Relations and the Office of Communications and Marketing has a communications plan and a set of protocols to deal with press and Housing will be concerned primarily with the evacuation of residents," Sugg said.

Residential Facilities Director Rachel Connelly coordinates the Housing response plan. "[The plan] addresses having rosters available, taking counts of residents, emergency power, keeping staff and residents informed, temporary housing if necessary, extra mattresses, blankets and pillows if necessary, checking building facilities and checking with disabled students," Connelly said.

Such collaboration breaks down the process of dealing with an emergency, making for a more efficient and streamlined process.

For most students, knowing that the university has an emergency plan bolsters feelings of safety and security. Junior Melissa Flores feels safe on campus and thinks that in the event of an emergency, the necessary staff will be able to handle any situations that arise due to planning. "A plan is better than no plan, especially one made by professionals trained for managing emergencies," Flores said.

While sophomore Danielle Camardo generally feels that there is no reason to feel unsafe at Santa Clara, she does admit that she would feel safer if she knew more about the emergency plan. "I don't know anything about the emergency plan, I feel like I am in the dark," said Camardo.

Despite common questions and answers concerning emergency operations being circulated via a campus-wide email written by Sugg, many students echo Camardo's sentiments.

According to Sugg, the most important information an individual can have regarding emergency procedures is from www.ready.gov, a Web site made by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

"It has the best information on what personal actions one can take; it talks about provisions, water and many other things," Sugg said.

The government Web site also describes the biological, chemical and nuclear threats, including information on how to differentiate between the threats. This raises questions of which events are more likely to ever affect Santa Clara.

In the recent months, reports of the U.S. government raising the terrorist alert status have often cited San Francisco and more specifically, Bay Area landmark, the Golden Gate Bridge, as terror attack targets.

Many believe that the Bay Area is not at large risk of being attacked by terrorists, but in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001 and with the onset of the war in Iraq, the thought lingers.

Chang, who thinks that emergency plans may not dramatically help in the event of an act of terror, also questions the possibility being a target. "I think it's highly unlikely that we, in the Bay Area, would be attacked, but sometimes I think that given our economic reputation and our 'Silicon Valley' moniker, what doesn't make us a target?"