Wednesday, September 12, 2001

University prepared for crisis, officials say
By Aaron Chimbel
Staff Reporter

TCU has a thorough plan in place to inform students, faculty and staff in case of an emergency situation on campus, said Tracy Syler-Doctson, assistant director of communications.

“The crisis plan is there to make sure that we communicate with the people most directly affected by a tragedy on campus,” she said.

Larry Lauer, vice chancellor for marketing and communication, said the communication office’s job is to assess what happened and determine who needs to know what and deliver that information to them.

He said if an emergency should arise, Chancellor Michael Ferrari would assemble a group to handle the crisis, depending on what happened and where. The members of the group would vary depending on the incident, Lauer said.

Assistant Police Chief J. C. Williams said TCU Police is prepared to handle any situation. He said the department has a good working relationship with other agencies including the Fort Worth Police Department and FBI.

“There are definitely plans in place to respond adequately,” Williams said.

Pam Frable, assistant professor of nursing, said the most important thing is to have an emergency plan in place and to practice it.

“It is the same to not have one if (the plan) is not practiced,” she said.

Ferrari sent an e-mail to all students, faculty and staff Tuesday saying classes were canceled, Syler-Doctson said. He said he anticipates classes returning to normal schedule on Wednesday. A notice was posted on the TCU Web site, she said. The information desk and Tager-TV studio were asked to let students know classes were canceled.

Ferrari said his initial reaction was to continue with classes as usual, which would give students an opportunity to discuss what happened with classmates and professors.

He said canceling classes allowed students to express their grief in their own way.

“It was one of those moments that none of us will forget,” Ferrari said.

Southern Methodist University, Texas A&M University, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Texas at Arlington and Baylor University all continued with regularly scheduled classes Tuesday. The University of North Texas canceled classes. Tarrant County College continued with classes until 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Syler-Doctson said in the event of a crisis students should check the university’s Web site and watch local news.

Aaron Chimbel
a.a.chimbel@student.tcu.edu

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