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Pepperdine’s Planning for Emergencies
To Students, Parents, and Family Members:
While speaking to a group of student leaders a few years ago, I
commented that I do not believe we are disaster-prone necessarily,
but that there certainly seems to be a price to be paid for this
beautiful place in which we live and learn and work -- and that
price seems to be the occasional challenge from nature. The
mountains behind us and the ocean in front of us are the reason for
our remarkable vistas; they are also geologic and natural reminders
of the fragility of this environment. It occurs to me that students
(especially our freshmen), parents, and families might like to have
some basic information about University emergency planning. More
specific information will be provided to students in convocation.
I suppose one of the advantages we have (although it feels like a
row of battle ribbons sometimes) is experience. We know our campus
well. We know the capabilities of our staff and how the physical
plant will respond to extreme conditions. Our planning tends to
focus on earthquakes, heavy rainfall, and fire. With the state of
current world security issues, we also think about national and
international emergencies, and so we have planned for those
contingencies, as well. Our world has been changed by a number of
tragic events including Virginia Tech, Hurricane Katrina, and the
Tsunami in Asia. We study each situation carefully and determine
how we should respond to better prepare for our own campuses and
University community. I just want you to know that we think about
these things and plan carefully.
Pepperdine University is not unlike a well-equipped, small city: we
have firetrucks and trained first responders; we have capable
electricians, plumbers, and carpenters on campus around-the-clock;
we have emergency response personnel; we maintain a supply of food
and water; we staff a health and counseling center; and we have a
host of other resources upon which to call in the event of an
emergency. We also have many faculty and staff living on campus who
are present and active in assisting the University as it addresses
challenges of any kind. In an emergency, the Malibu campus has
always been a very safe place. The same is true at our
international locations. A practiced and articulated protocol
exists to evaluate risks and to make decisions in the best interests
of the campus and its resident and commuting population.
In the middle of an emergency on one of our campuses there is a calm
that news organizations often do not share with the public. In my
view it is the difference between
perception and
reality. One of our greatest tasks is to transmit accurate
information from and to and within the campus community. We hope to
provide regular photos and information to parents and friends via
the University’s home page on the Internet. Recent planning
revisions, newly purchased equipment, and careful preparation place
us in a state of readiness as we move into this new school year. We
all will be happy if those same plans are merely dusted off after an
uneventful year, but we must be ready. I believe we are.
Our first duty in an emergency is to care for students, personnel,
and campus assets. At the same time our emergency response plans
are put into action, our staff is trained to install phone banks,
begin disseminating information on the Internet, open a message
center, gather support personnel and, if necessary, open a
previously planned relocation center. We have taken steps to be our
own “first responders” until state and local agencies reach campus,
and we are preparing to be self-reliant in the event that utilities
and other infrastructure services are disrupted. Are there
challenges we have not anticipated? Possibly. Are we better
prepared than ever before? Absolutely.
Please know that we understand the need you have for accurate
information and communication with your son or daughter, especially
during emergencies. Do not hesitate to call the University and
inquire. If the University‘s regular telephone service is
disrupted, updated emergency information can be obtained from
Pepperdine’s toll-free, out-of-area voice mail telephone number:
(888) 286-5659. Additionally, emergency information is available
online at the University’s Emergency Information Page
http://emergency.pepperdine.edu. The only thing that will
impair the communication plans we have in place will be those things
for which we simply cannot plan, and over which we have no control.
Throughout all of this, our every effort will be directed toward
returning to safe and normal operations, including classes, as soon
as possible.
I hope this information is helpful. We have begun a truly
remarkable school year and look forward to completing it
successfully, safely, and in a manner most beneficial to the student
you have entrusted to us.
Andrew K. Benton
President
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