It is vital to be prepared to communicate with your campus community at all times. Threats may occur without warning… misinformation can spread in seconds, fueling rumors, fear, and outright confusion. Many threats must be seriously considered and require immediate action. Others may prove to be only a hoax, but a disruptive, and potentially dangerous, threat in themselves. With timely, clear communication, Delaware County Community College was able to better manage a crisis situation, while minimizing impact to its operations. Challenge: Emergency Closure Founded almost 40 years ago in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Delaware County Community College (DCCC) is a public, two-year college with two campuses, three centers and several locations throughout Delaware and Chester Counties. The college has an enrollment of approximately 27,000 combined credit and non-credit students. On April 26th, 2007—ten days after the deadliest campus shooting in modern U.S. history—eight DCCC faculty/staff members received two disturbing e-mail messages threatening “a massacre” on two of the college’s campuses. Purportedly sent by a DCCC student, the e-mails were sent from a wireless location and considered a credible threat by campus and law enforcement officials. Working with FBI and local law enforcement authorities, DCCC administrators and security personnel decided to immediately cancel classes. The college’s sprawling campuses were subsequently closed as a precautionary measure and remained shut for several days. Ominous e-mails were sent to faculty/staff members and considered a credible threat by campus and law enforcement officials.With an investigation underway, concern among campus administrators and local authorities shifted to keeping their campus community informed without risk of creating panic—or the perception that the campus was somehow being held hostage by the stealth e-mailer. With the business of the college interrupted, and law enforcement resources put to task, there was an unqualified need for rapid and reliable communication. Solution: Connect-ED DCCC administrators were already familiar with its unmatched ease, power, and efficiency of the Connect?ED service. Based on their success with using the service for outreach, enrollment management, and fee collection, DCCC administrators immediately thought to use the Connect?ED service to communicate with students about the developing crisis. There was an immediate need for reliable, ongoing communication to keep students informed. The unlimited calling feature of the Connect-ED service enabled DCCC to send as many messages as required... at no additional cost. The college sent messages to its students notifying them that classes were cancelled, advising that all locations would “remain closed until further notice.” By providing clear instructions on procedures, all campuses were evacuated without incident. DCCC remained closed for several days. During this time, the college relied on the Connect?ED service to keep its campus community apprised of the situation. In all, the college sent out messages on April 26, 27, 29, 30, and May 1st. Result: Safety Maintained, Business Restored Without Incident With a massive investigation ongoing and pending, the FBI surmised that the e-mails were likely a hoax and no longer credible threats. The emergency messages were sent in addition to the college’s regular communications, such as notifications concerning enrollment and outreach. And, because the Connect-ED service features unlimited pricing, DCCC was able to maintain ongoing communications without any additional expense. The college decided to resume daily operations with new security measures in place. Police and security presence on DCCC campuses were visibly increased, including the use of metal detectors, patrol cars, bomb-sniffing dogs and armed personnel to control movement and verify ID. Students were restricted from bringing backpacks or bags onto any of the campuses, and only clear plastic bags could be used to carry personal belongings. In addition, police and college officials conducted random searches. All five DCCC locations reopened, quietly and without incident, on May 2, 2007. Before, during and after the emergency, DCCC administrators used the Connect?ED service to directly provide their students with important updates and information. Through clear, timely communication, calm was maintained. DCCC operations were quickly restored, without threat of violence or miscommunication. Through clear, timely communication, calm was maintained. DCCC operations were quickly restored, without threat of violence.Click here for more information |
