Students unaware of crisis plan
Information classified, administrators claim
After the threat of terrorism caused Baltimore authorities to close down two major tunnels on Oct. 18, the University has left students unsure of what to do in the event of a similar emergency on the Homewood campus.
Jim Zeller, the chair of the University Crisis Response Team, said that the only information available to students is about events that would most likely affect the Homewood Campus. Zeller explained, "The plan focuses on what is likely to happen here, which might be a small explosion or a violent student death. Most of them involve security."
According to Zeller, information concerning emergency plans for a potential terrorist attack is confidential. Such information, he explained, involves potential mass casualty situations.
He said, "For the stuff that we do for [Critical Emergency Preparedness and Response], those plans are limited for 30 people in the University. And they would have to do with a horrific event. Those are almost classified."
The Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response (CEPAR) is responsible for developing and testing emergency plans that would be instituted in the event of an emergency situation.
According to Zeller, CEPAR has developed a five threat advisory system that warns students and people in the surrounding Hopkins area when they are at risk for a terrorist attack.
Currently, the level is on "elevated" (level three), which indicates a significant risk.
At this level, Zeller explained, CEPAR is on alert, looking for signs that would indicate a possible terrorist attack.
If officials were to raise the alert level to "high" or "severe" (levels two and one, respectively), resources would be coordinated and an overt response would be implemented
CEPAR officials have an emergency system in place, but they're not yet clear about what exactly students should do in the event of a crisis situation.
Although CEPAR trains leaders, such as community officials, medical officials, and others who would actually work in administering treatment or aiding others in case of an attack, there is a lack of student training in how to respond to a potential crisis.
On Oct. 18, very few students knew that there was a terrorist threat in the Baltimore tunnels. The few students who did know have said that they found out through worried parents or by watching the local news.
The University made no attempt to communicate what was going on to its students.
Several students suggested that what worried them the most was the lack of information they received from the University regarding the incident.
Freshman Christy Renninger said, "I think it would be beneficial for the students if the school shared this information with us. I wouldn't feel safer, but I would feel more informed."
Renninger added, "I found out about it two days later when flipping through a newspaper."
Aarthi Rao, also a freshman, agreed, saying she would like to be informed. "I would feel safer because I would be more personally vigilant rather than just being ignorant of what's going on," Rao said.
Senior Heraa Haj-elsafi said, "Hopkins should have told us. They could have sent us a general e-mail."
"Even if they thought it was a false scare or didn't put Hopkins at risk, they should have e-mailed us," he pointed out.
Haj-elsafi said he thinks that there must is a plan in case of an emergency but isn't sure of its details. "I know there is a plan but I don't know exactly what it is," he said.
"I think all schools have to have an emergency response plan, especially after 9/11," Haj-elsafi added.
Freshman Larry Walters said, "I don't think they gave us any good warning about it. I happened to see it on the news. I heard about it from my dad, but not any Hopkins people."
Walters said he felt that Hopkins' lack of communication with its students shows that it is not prepared, "I feel like they would be more prepared if I heard about it."
"I would know that they had a system planned if I heard about it," he added.
Zeller stated that CEPAR was notified by the city even before the media was informed. The city made it clear that it was of no concern to the University.
Zeller, who also recieved concerned phone calls from worried parents, said, "I would like to make a recommendation on providing more information because, even though we may feel comfortable, the news and media sort of drive what others hear."
He added that he is sympathetic to the concerns of Hopkins parents and students. "I think it is something that we can certainly take a look at. I would be happy to put it forth in the next meeting," Zeller said.