Hall practices securing drill

By Michelle Hagopian
April 8, 2008

A sign on the front door of Mark Twain residence hall alerts residents and visitors of the 'shelter in place' drill in progress.

Graphic/Amy Oslica

(Click graphic to enlarge)

Students living in Mark Twain residence hall participated in a new emergency drill Saturday afternoon.

The Department of Residential Life executed its pilot emergency securing drill at 2:30 p.m. Students were instructed to stay in their rooms, close their blinds and lock their doors while remaining quiet.

Kristen Temple, associate director for residential academic programs, said students knew the drill was coming in advance.

“We started educating students in Mark Twain about six weeks ago on what the process was and what role they would be playing,” she said. “Earlier this week, we let them know what time to prepare.”

Because of emergencies on other college campuses, Residential Life decided to add the securing drill as a precaution. MU joins universities across the country prepared for various emergencies, she said.

“We already have a variety of safety drills, but this was something to also practice with the students,” Temple said.

She said students in the hall were notified by e-mail and student staff members walked the hallways to alert students during the drill.

The drill ended at 3:10 p.m., 50 minutes earlier than expected.

“After the drill, many students said they appreciated how quick and efficient the process was,” Temple said.

She said the few students she talked to felt the process was similar to high school drills and it made sense to them. They said it was simple enough to follow in an emergency and it made them feel safe.

Temple said she hopes to review all student feedback given in writing.

Residential Life hopes to extend the securing drill to all residence halls on the MU campus near the end of April. All halls currently practice fire and tornado drills annually during the fall semester, she said.

“By the 2008 fall semester, we hope to have this securing drill in all halls on campus,” Temple said.

All Residential Life student staff and professional staff members have been trained in the drill process, she said.

There are three levels to the emergency securing drill: yellow, orange and red.

The yellow level consists of locking the exterior residence hall doors and posting information. Students can come and go as they please, Temple said.

“Yellow level drills are similar to locking procedures on Saturdays during the fall football season,” she said.

Orange level drills are targeted toward keeping students and staff away from a specific area for a certain reason, like a hazardous spill.

The red level is executed in a severe emergency. Exterior doors to residence halls are locked and students must find the nearest lockable place of safety, she said.

Temple said Saturday’s securing drill in Mark Twain was a red level securing drill.

She said residents can still enter their halls with their student ID cards during all drills, and doors are secured solely for people who don’t live in the building.

Cortney McGowan, a freshman Mark Twain resident, said the drill was a necessity.

“As a Mark Twain resident, I think it’s important because we’re kind of off campus and we have intruders,” she said.

She said she appreciated the patience the staff gave her when answering questions.

“Getting ready for this allowed us to be serious and to know what to do in the situation,” McGowan said. “I’d rather be scared and prepared than scared and held hostage.”

Another Mark Twain resident, sophomore Peter Dubrowski, said the drill was useful.

“Since everything was planned, most people were either out of the dorm or already in their rooms waiting for the alarm to sound,” he said.

He said a random securing drill might give a more accurate representation of how students would react to an emergency.

“I’d like to see a random drill where people would actually have to get to their rooms and lock the doors without knowing in advance,” Dubrowski said. “It would better represent how long the process would take.”

Students who participated had the opportunity to win one of three gift certificates to the University Bookstore though a raffle sponsored by Residential Life.

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Hall practices securing drill

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