Emergency management director discusses campus safety
Communication Committee
Mike Raderstorf, director of emergency management for Georgia State spoke at the May 21 Staff Council meeting about his office and its plans for the future.
“Our whole goal is to make the university safer tomorrow than it is today,” he said. The Office of Emergency Management, which was formed in 2007, is responsible for the comprehensive emergency and disaster management planning efforts for Georgia State University. The office provides planning, training, grant assistance, inter-departmental coordination and emergency response assistance for major emergencies and disasters.
According to Raderstorf, the university faces a unique set of challenges because of its location in the middle of a busy city with large numbers of people moving in and out of campus. Some of the most difficult issues presented by this situation include crime, chemical spills, and the logistics involved in communicating with the large number of staff, faculty and students on campus.
Raderstorf reported progress in developing a comprehensive plan for emergency communications across campus. The plan includes developing new Unit Emergency Action Plans for each building on campus, as well as the installation of a new outdoor speaker system which will broadcast announcements in the event of an emergency.
Further new safety efforts include Panther Alert, a new communications system that is being developed to allow emergency messages to be sent simultaneously over email, text and phone systems to all staff, faculty and students. Raderstorf said that he hopes to have the system, which is already being used at Georgia Tech, in place by the fall semester. He also discussed revamping the university homepage to make the display of emergency messages more prominent and timely.
Staff Council Retreat Date Changed
The date for the Staff Council’s annual retreat has been changed to Friday, June 27, 2008, due to a scheduling conflict. The all-day retreat will still be held at the Indian Creek Lodge beginning at 8:30 a.m. and will offer council members an opportunity to set goals for the year and participate in team-building exercises. The university is planning a celebration for retiring President Carl Patton on the original date of the retreat, June 12, at 11 a.m. in the Student Recreation Center Lobby.
New Staff Council Website
The Staff Council has a new website, www.gsu.edu/staffcouncil. The site, developed by the Staff Council Executive Committee with assistance from the Communications Committee and the university Experience Design Group, uses the technology and design template of the Georgia State homepage. New features include a staff calendar of events, staff news, as well as links for resources and training and growth opportunities for staff.
The Communications Committee will continue to work with the Executive Committee to update the site and add new content. Suggestions for the site should be sent to Randy Trammell, rtrammell@gsu.edu.
July Meeting
The next Staff Council Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 16, at 3 p.m. in the Student Center Sinclair Suite, room 274. The meeting will include a panel on staff training programs and will feature representatives from the eTraining program, Management and Staff Development Services, and Faculty and Staff Assistance Programs. As always, meetings are open to all university staff members to attend.