Information

Statement from Vice Provost for Student Affairs Greg Boardman
April 25, 2007

In the wake of the tragedy at Virginia Tech, there has been an outpouring of sympathy and sorrow along with an increased concern about safety on college campuses throughout the country. Many parents contacted us to ask about Stanford's emergency protocols and I decided to share information through the parents' website in the hopes of reaching many of you.

First, I think it is well known that Stanford has had an emergency management program in place for many years. The emergency plan has evolved from one primarily focused on earthquake preparation and response and now includes an "all hazards" approach to emergency planning. As part of our ongoing emergency management program, which is a continuing process of planning, implementation, evaluation and revision, we conduct exercises for different types of emergencies, including intentional acts. Campus-wide exercises are held annually. Other types of exercises in specific areas of the campus, including housing and dining and the medical center, also are held.  For more details about this university-wide plan please consult the website for the office of Environmental Health and Safety at http://www.stanford.edu/dept/EHS/prod/general/erprep/plans/summary.html

We are prepared to immediately activate the university-wide emergency website in any situation where it is deemed necessary (http://emergency.stanford.edu), and, of course, our website for parents would carry information (http://parents.stanford.edu/). People could find news by phone through a parents' helpline and a university emergency hotline (650-725-5555).  In addition, the university has the capacity to send out mass e-mails to students and employees, although we are seeking to improve the speed with which we can do so. We can put out notices on the student radio station KZSU and through other media. There's also a network of staff members in the student residences who have a protocol for emergency notification.

Our Department of Public Safety, located on the edge of campus, is well trained and prepared to handle a variety of situations. For obvious reasons we do not provide details of their security plans and protocols. But our officers are deputies of Santa Clara County and, as such, have full police powers and carry weapons. They, too, drill frequently in preparation for emergencies. In the event of an emergency, information would be posted on the public safety website (at http://police.stanford.edu) where there is a report describing safety and security on campus which may interest you.

Since Stanford is a residential campus, we are careful about security in the residence halls. All dorms, both large and small, have more than one entrance and exit and all doors lock automatically. Some dorms have keys; some use an electronic entry system called DoorKing. There are security cameras in various locations and blue light emergency towers throughout the campus. Many classrooms have land line phones. Cell phones do work from most classrooms.

Your student's psychological well being is another of our top priorities and you should know that the university offers a breadth of counseling services for students, including Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at Vaden Health Center, the Bridge Peer Counseling Center, the Office for Religious Life, the community centers and residence staff. Your current issue of the Parents' Newsletter contains an interview with CAPS director Dr. Alejandro Martinez, who talks about student mental health issues in more depth. To see a detailed list of campus resources for students please go to:  http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2007/april18/resource-041807.html.

With all of these services and resources in place we realize that effective emergency planning cannot be static.  As a result of the Virginia Tech tragedy, Vice President Randy Livingston is convening a group that will be reviewing all of our protocols in recognition of our commitment to insure that we have thoroughly addressed our preparation for any emergency.

I hope this information is helpful to you.  If you find that you have further questions about Stanford's emergency preparedness, police services or counseling resources, please send an email to:  mykidis@stanford.edu.