Unfortunately, history has shown us that a disaster can occur on your college campus when you least expect it. No matter where you may happen to be at a given time, floods, fire, fallen ceilings, gang violence, an infectious outbreak, bomb scares, and in the worst case scenario, mass murders can take place right in the middle of your classroom. Bad things can happen. The good news is that many colleges and universities are taking a more proactive approach in designing emergency plans to help students and faculty escape the crisis situations that could come their way.
REMINDERS
• Take a course in first aid and CPR. You never know when the information will come in handy!
• Learn how to turn off electricity, water, gas, and heating and cooling systems in the building where you live. If you live in a dormitory, ask your resident assistant (RA) or dorm director about emergency measures related to those systems.
• Make a habit of looking out for hazardous materials that might affect your area of residence, especially if you live off campus. Different types of acids and alkaline substances can sometimes be found in old batteries or poorly marked commercial products. Make sure you know how to handle such substances.
• Plan an emergency-response session with your family, roommates, and RA to discuss exit routes, emergency numbers, and meeting places in case of an evacuation.
• Make sure that a trusted friend or roommate and your RA have your contact information, as well as the emergency contact information for your closest family members. Also give your family the names and contact information of your roommates or other close campus friends. Equipped with such information, they can ensure that you are found in the event of an emergency—on campus or at home.
• Develop and discuss with your family alternative ways of contacting you in the event of an emergency. How might your family members locate and communicate with you? Where can loved ones expect to find you—and with whom?
• Establish several different meeting places that are most familiar to you. Make one meeting place directly outside your apartment, dorm, or rental unit. Identify an alternative rendezvous point away from your campus in the event you cannot return to your dorm or apartment. Then be sure your important contact persons (family as well as friends on campus) have that information at their disposal.
• Determine how you will exit your apartment, dormitory, or off-campus rental unit in case of an evacuation. Where are the exits in your building? Locate at least two ways to exit the premises where you reside, and then execute an emergency drill. You want to be confident that you can actually navigate the emergency exit you have planned.
• Identify a long-distance emergency contact person. Does that advice sound strange? The Department of Homeland Security and the Red Cross tell us that it is often easier to call long distance than locally during an emergency situation. What out-of-state friend or family member can you call in the event of an emergency? Again, be sure to share this person’s information with your immediate family and campus friends or roommate.
• Make sure you are familiar with your college or university’s methods of communication. Watch the daily postings on the bulletin board in your dormitory or the student center. Keep an eye on the video monitor in the student lounge. Know where to look online or what numbers to call to get emergency notifications. These locations serve as pivotal points of reference by which information is shared on a daily basis. Monitor these locations carefully, and should an emergency notification be broadcast, take it seriously!
• Become familiar with your state’s information and referral hotline. Depending where you are located, 211 or another substitute number can be dialed from any landline telephone and most cell phones. Such numbers offer emergency information regarding the nearest evacuation routes and access to water, food, and shelter.
• Visit the following websites for more information about developing an emergency plan and building a disaster supply kit: www.ready.gov and www.redcross.org. To order a readymade, emergency-preparedness kit, go to www.redcrossstore.org.
Be Prepared—With Information Resources
ALCOHOL AND SUBSTANCE ABUSE
• The BACCHUS Network (www.bacchusgamma.org)
• College Drinking Prevention (www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov)
• Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (www.samhsa.org)
• Tobacco Free U (www.tobaccofreeu.org)
Additional Online Resources
• Alcohol Poisoning — This is a fact sheet from the College Drinking Prevention site (www.collegedrinkingprevention.gov/OtherAlcoholInformation/factsAboutAlcoholPoisoning.aspx).
• Alcohol Screening — This site helps college students assess drinking patterns and learn about alcohol consumption and health (www.alcoholscreening.org).
• Wasting the Best & the Brightest: Substance Abuse at America’s Colleges & Universities—The 2007 report from the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University may be downloaded for free or ordered for $25.00 at this website (www.casacolumbia.org/supportcasa/item.asp?cID=12&PID=155).
DOMESTIC AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE
• National Center for Victims of Crime (www.ncvc.org)
• National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence (www.ncdsv.org)
• National Sexual Violence Resource Center (www.nsvrc.org)
• Network of Victim Assistance (www.novabucks.org)
• New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault (www.nycagainstrape.org)
• Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (www.rainn.org)
• Security On Campus, Inc. (www.securityoncampus.org)
• Women’s Justice Center (www.justicewomen.com)
Additional Online Resources
• Drug-Facilitated Rape: Looking for the Missing Pieces (NCJRS) — This free download is a reprint from the National Institute of Justice’s NIJ Journal (April 2000) and describes the phenomenon of drug-facilitated rape, including brief summaries on the most common daterape drugs, GHB and Rohypnol (www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/jr000243c.pdf).
• Stalking Resource Center — This data, provided by the National Center for Victims of Crime, offers information, legislation, statistics, and resources in both English and Spanish (www.ncvc.org/src/main.aspx?dbID=dash_Home).
MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (www.afsp.org)
• Campus Blues (www.campusblues.com)
• National Eating Disorders Association (www.nationaleatingdisorders.org)
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org)
Additional Online Resources
• Depression Screening — This site offers college students information about depression and its treatment. In addition, college students can take an online screening test (www.depression-screening.org).
• The Truth about Suicide: Real Stories of Depression in College —This film was produced by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Descriptions, factsheets, and videoexcerpts are available on the foundation’s website (www.afsp.org).
• “What Do These Students Have in Common?” Booklet — This online booklet from the National Institute of Mental Health helps college students to recognize and deal with depression (www.nimh.nih.gov/publicat/students.cfm).
GENERAL INFORMATION RESOURCE SITES
• Go Ask Alice! (www.goaskalice.columbia.edu)
• Phoenix House (www.factsontap.org)
Additional Online Resources
• Internet Addiction Self Tests — Free online tests for individuals to test their own addictions (www.netaddiction.com/resources), including an assessment called “Surfing, Not Studying,” which deals with student Internet addictions.
Author Resource:-
Christopher Michael Jones has recently published his first book, What to Expect When You're Accepted: An African American Christian's Guide to College.
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