Message from the President
November 19, 2020
To Whom It May Concern:
Eastern Mennonite University is committed to maintaining a safe, environmentally responsible and physically attractive environment for our students, faculty, staff and visitors. To that end, I am pleased to present the EMU Campus Safety and Security Report.
Although EMU is committed to creating a safe, caring and cooperative campus culture, we cannot lose sight of the fact that no community is immune to, or completely safe from, a crisis or catastrophic event.
Use this report to become aware and to help make the EMU community an environment of mutual care and respect.
Sincerely,
Susan Schultz Huxman, PhD President
Message from the Coordinator of Campus Safety and Security
Eastern Mennonite University is committed to providing a safe place where individuals can grow.
The office of Safety and Security is responsible for the oversight of safety, security and fire safety on campus, security on campus is provided both by contract security officers, and by university staff who are trained by the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services.
The university has a standing group of administrators and support staff who make up the Crisis Management Preparedness Team (CMPT). This team meets monthly or as needed to work with issues that arise dealing with safety, security, and emergency preparedness. The university also works closely with our local emergency service partners in preparation and preparedness planning.
EMU has undertaken numerous endeavors in the past few years to address safety and security in an effort to be proactive in protecting the campus community. A few of the more recent accomplishments have been to work with the Department of Justice (DOJ) to extend a grant through the Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) focused on a trauma informed approach to sexual assault investigations. In 2020, the university is setting up additional emergency notification systems and updating three monitored fire alarm systems with addressable devices throughout, two of which are in residential buildings. The year 2019 saw the university move forward with plans to update and increase the numbers of emergency phones around campus. The Crisis Management Preparedness Team started in 2018 drafting of an emergency operations plan that is in progress. The university has hosted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) three-day course for administration, selected staff, and public safety partners entitled Managing Critical Incident for Higher Education.
All community members are encouraged to participate within the community by stepping up and being an advocate. Additional safety, security and reporting information can be found at {+}http://www.emu.edu/safety-and-security/.+
Sincerely,
David Emswiler
Coordinator of Campus Safety and Security