Newspaper: The Citizen's Voice
Date: October 1, 2004

Misericordia hosts Ready Campus training workshop

Increasingly frequent terror alerts and natural disasters such as Hurricane Ivan, which ravaged the Gulf Coast and caused major flooding in Pennsylvania and elsewhere, demonstrate the need for being prepared for emergencies of all shapes and sizes.

In Pennsylvania, colleges and universities and their communities are getting ready through an innovative project known as Ready Campus.

College and university officials gathered all day at College Misericordia, Dallas, Thursday to participate in a Ready Campus training workshop.

A workshop for western Pennsylvania colleges and universities is being held Oct. 8 in Pittsburgh.

The workshop was designed so that campus and community leaders learn more about each other's plans for preparation and response to emergencies.

Guidelines for collaboration are being outlined in a new manual that outlines how a college's physical plant and trained professionals can assist in time of need.

It also outlines how to use service learning in existing courses and majors to prepare tomorrow's leaders to be aware of disaster relief as it relates to their chosen profession.

Colleges are encouraged to bring representatives from their local Red Cross, emergency management agencies, and first-responders, such as police and fire officials.

Specific sessions were held on how colleges can partner and receive training from the American Red Cross in advance of emergencies and how colleges can manage the legal and financial risks in acting as shelters and sending staff and students to disaster areas.

In addition, each college received a Ready Campus manual that outlines several of the known best practices for helping during an emergency and adding public safety to existing academic courses via service learning.

Duncan Campbell, Pennsylvania native and chief of staff for Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, was the keynote speaker at Thursday's workshop.

He, along with Arthur Kaplan, director of the East Central Pa. Counter-Terrorism Task Force, addressed a group of more than 120 representing 25 colleges and dozens of first responders.

Dr. Michael MacDowell, president of College Misericordia, also spoke as did Keith Martin. outgoing state director of homeland security.

For more information, go to www.readycampus.org or contact Pennsylvania Campus Compact at 717-796-5072.