We Have Seen the Enemy ...; One Year after 9/11, College and Universities Are Using the Impetus to Jump-Start Disaster Response Plans for `More Likely' Scenarios. (Security)

Goral, Tim, University Business

In the days and weeks following the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, there was no shortage of terrorist attack warnings, bomb threats, anthrax scares, suspected air and water contamination, and cyberattacks. Colleges and universities that had previously prepared for little more than severe weather emergencies were suddenly confronted with endless "what if" scenarios. And, according to security specialists and university officials, it's become apparent in the past 12 months that many schools found their plans to respond to any kind of disaster lacking. "School officials believe more now that a tragedy can happen to them," says Alan Brill, Senior Managing Director of the New York-based Kroll Information Security Group. "The disaster recovery plans that were originally put together because personnel were forced to draft them have taken on a new significance. After 9/11, senior management recognized that these disaster responses are not classroom exercises, but are vital to the overall continuity of the college or university operation."

The most surprising reaction, however, is that IHEs across the country do not see terrorism as a chief concern in disaster planning. Although it was the terrorist attacks that forced schools to take stock of their plans, the university officials interviewed for this article say that the biggest issues they face continue to be those that existed prior to 9/11: natural disasters, crime on campus, fire, and personnel security issues.

"Those are the things that continue to affect daily existence," agrees James Francis, Senior VP of Security Services at Kroll. "A terrorist attack is far more likely on the Pentagon than on a small school in North Dakota." He agrees that institutions should focus the bulk of their preparedness efforts on areas such as natural disaster planning, crime, or increased computer security.

FOCUSING ON MORE LIKELY THREATS

That's the overriding philosophy at the University of California-Berkeley, says Tom Klatt, Director of Emergency Planning and Communications for the UC Police Department. He admits that since 9/11, the school has added a number of security measures to reduce the likelihood of terrorism, but, he says, it has more aggressively pursued other--more imminent--security concerns. "September 11 may have been the wake-up call for some schools," says Klatt, "but we've had active shooter scenarios, we've been targeted twice by the Unabomber, we have animal rights groups protesting the school's animal, testing program, and we've seen …

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Publication information: Article title: We Have Seen the Enemy ...; One Year after 9/11, College and Universities Are Using the Impetus to Jump-Start Disaster Response Plans for `More Likely' Scenarios. (Security). Contributors: Goral, Tim - Author. Magazine title: University Business. Volume: 5. Issue: 7 Publication date: September 2002. Page number: 42+. © 2009 Professional Media Group LLC. COPYRIGHT 2002 Gale Group.

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