Protocols in Place for Campus Threats

By Cleary Percy
Staff Writer
IG: @cleary_percy

There is no doubt that for a college, of any size, having a plan for a campus threat is extremely important. 

Hutchinson Community College, like other universities, has a plan for campus threats that takes into account various scenarios. 

It’s what the college calls the “EOP”, or Emergency Operation Plan.

This plan, according to Dana Hinshaw, the Executive Director of Student Affairs and Campus Safety, applies to all buildings on the HutchCC campus, including on-campus housing.

According to the plan, there are four phases of emergency management – Mitigation, Preparedness, Response & Recovery.

The actions in each phase change to accommodate different scenarios.

For example, an action in the Mitigation section of the armed intruder plan is to install locks or devices on doors that allow the door to be locked from the inside.

There are multiple Emergency Action Plans for different scenarios.

Scenarios include a previously mentioned Armed Intruder, “Crimes in Progress”, which could be a burglary spree, a hostage situation, and a bomb threat, among others.

Focusing on dorm safety, Hinshaw said that all outside doors at the residence halls are locked down 24 hours per day and can only be accessed by staff and residents. 

Individual dorm rooms also automatically lock when closed and operated by electronic key.  Students have an app on their mobile device that allows them in and out of their rooms as well as the outside doors.

“We feel like this is a great safety feature for our students,” Hinshaw said about the “Dragon Alert” App.

“We also have a security officer on duty each night as well as an RA on Duty and an Adult Staff Member on Duty.”

Hinshaw and HutchCC in general have confidence that the Emergency Operation Plan and protective measures in the dorms will lead to a better handling of any threats that would impact student safety when on campus.

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