Editorial

Students need training, responsibility

By Editorial Staff

For the Hamilton Emergency Response Team, Monday’s events must have passed in the blink of an eye. For the rest of the community, though, Monday seemed to never end. Members of The Spectator spent the lockdown in a Minor bedroom, the Field House and even the Print Shop. Whether you were a student, faculty member or staff member, the day was long, stressful, and uncertain to varying degrees. Our only instructions and information came from e-mails and press conferences, and most of our decisions became matters of personal discretion. While some professors stopped lecturing, locked their doors and secured their students to the best of their ability, other professors continued lecturing, abandoned students once they were finished and then tested them on that day’s material the very next day. As some students huddled without food in the Library’s generator rooms, others posted on WiGo about beautiful weather and playing Frisbee on the quad just outside. These latter choices were dangerous, inconsiderate and demonstrate that the community needs as much emergency training as HERT.

Concerns about misinformation and confusion riddled the debriefing meeting in the Chapel on Tuesday afternoon. During the lockdown students turned to professors and staff member alike looking for directions, but their elders had little to offer. Jane Watson Irvin Professor of English Margie Thickstun did not even know the difference between sheltering in place and locking down. She did not know if she could let her students use the bathroom or get them food from elsewhere in the building. And when looking for help on the Hamilton website, everyone found a series of emergency messages and most other services disabled. People were left to their own devices and clearly some people had better instincts than others. Referring to the lack of discretion by some people, Karen Leach, vice president of administration and finance, reminded the community that Campus Safety and other agencies would typically be occupied during an emergency, so it falls to individuals to follow instructions and make good personal decisions. While faculty members can assist their students, their guidance cannot help students hanging out in front of Eels and Ferguson. Students also need preparation for these situations when they are left alone.

By and large, the Hamilton community responded well to Monday’s events. Unfortunately, information was unclear, and proper procedures were unknown. While it is essential that HERT be ready to respond to any situation, maybe it is time to enhance the rest of our preparation. HERT already performs emergency drills (once a year) to prepare the campus, but the chaos of certain situations shows a need for clear directives based on who, what, where and when. Everyone needs more access to information, and more people need to know what to do and why. Increasing awareness of the rationale behind policy decisions will help prompt better choices from all. The Spectator is relieved that Monday’s events were only tests in the end. Tests are opportunities for evaluation, though, and help indicate areas of improvement. Giving the community emergency plans in advance is one of those areas, and we hope to see improvements on that in the future.

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