Whether students are stranded abroad or tornado warnings are in effect, Gustavus has a plan

The fact that Gustavus has a plan of action to follow in the case of a crisis involving students is often taken for granted by the average Gustie. Distant memories of the F3 tornado that tore through campus more than a decade ago serve as the sole reminder of how College officials are prepared to respond quickly to a disaster on campus. As a result, rarely do our minds wander to what might be in store for us if we were to find ourselves in a similar scenario while studying away from St. Peter.

This was perhaps the same mindset of the 21 Gustavus students and two faculty members before they were stranded for four days due to rapid flooding while studying for the “Education, Healthcare and Poverty in Peru” January Interim Experience course near Machu Picchu.

Alison Oppenheimer, a senior Communication Arts and Literature Teaching major was among the stranded students. “I never thought to ask the question [concerning disaster protocol] or look for an answer for myself. These aren’t the kind of situations you expect, and they can catch you totally off guard,” Oppenheimer said.

While that particular crisis in Peru was averted and all of the students and faculty were returned home safely because of the coordinated effort by College officials, it sheds light on the topic of Gustavus’ disaster response protocol and how it works. What may not be obvious to average students is that the College’s plan is defined largely by the circumstances and is applied on a case-by-case basis.

Charlie Strey, Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Residential Life, said that in general terms, three levels of crises exist when the College considers its plan for crisis management. “First,” Strey said, “there is general student injury, [second] a natural occurrence that involves property damage and finally, there are the more severe circumstances in which there is either the loss of a life or immediate mortal danger for Gustavus students.”

Depending upon which classification a disaster may fall under, different officials will be brought into the process at different times. It may also come as no surprise that there are uniquely different crisis management plans depending upon the setting students are in at the time of the situation. Carolyn O’Grady, director of international and cultural education, said that “we [the CICE] have our own Crisis Management Plan (CMP) since some issues that might arise in off-campus study are different than what might occur on campus.”

he events in Peru last month provide a lens through which we can analyze how the established CMP for off-campus travel functions. In the literature provided to parents of students studying abroad, there are four conditions under which emergency measures will be taken to protect the well-being of a student: serious illness, injury or death of a student, emotional or psychological stress that appears to require the removal of the student, being the victim or being accused of committing a crime (e.g. theft, assault, rape, harassment), or a situation in-country that that causes serious concern (e.g. natural disaster).

If the conditions of the scenario meet one of those circumstances, the CMP will be utilized. In the case of the students in Peru, flooding wiped out much of the transportation infrastructure between Aguascalientes (near Machu Picchu) and Cusco, a distance of approximately 70 miles. It was from Cusco that the students and faculty would fly to Lima before heading back to the United States.

The first steps taken after the faculty members on site in Peru notified the College of the circumstances was in O’Grady’s hands as the director of the CICE, as indicated by the CMP. By no means was she alone in the efforts however. “Sometimes I am the only one who needs to handle it. Other times, as with the Peru situation, the Crisis Management Team (CMT) includes the dean of students, the provost, the VP for Finance, the VP for Marketing & communication, [Campus] Safety and some others… depending on the situation,” O’Grady said.

According to the CMP, the first steps taken by either O’Grady or the CMT may include coordinating with the U.S. State Department or embassy in the host country, developing an evacuation plan, preparing a list of those who will be notified and getting measures approved by the president of the College. But some of the most immediate concerns for the students are what take first priority. For example, the students in Peru were stranded along with over 2,500 other tourists, so finding appropriate shelter, providing food and getting in contact with parents were among the first actions taken.

According to Oppenheimer, “[The College] was extremely effective. It sent frequent e-mails to all of our parents … made sure that we had enough money to continue paying for hotel rooms and food…and [was] in frequent contact with us, making sure we had everything we needed.”

Many of these decisions made through O’Grady and the CMT are relayed to the supervising faculty member traveling with the students. In the case of Peru, Professor of Relgion Mary Solberg of Religion and Professor of Education Debra Pitton had to provide the information about the conditions on site. As part of the CMP, supervising faculty members are provided with an orientation and training session, are briefed on responding to a crisis and are given contact information for the College to use in the case of an emergency.

The final facet of the CMP that is particularly important is how the College communicates information to the community and to the media at large. According to O’Grady, “Since the media often had information that was inaccurate, parents were relying on my office to get them the most accurate information we [could] gather.” Other information and press releases are handled by the office of marketing & communication at Gustavus.

In any crisis situation involving students, it is impossible to be 100 percent prepared. This uncertainty is magnified when the crisis affects numerous students who are living through a disaster scenario thousands of miles away, as with this particular January Interim Experience situation in Peru. Charlie Strey echoed this sentiment, saying that “nothing is quite the same when you are talking about students being abroad, as it is a situation Gustavus hasn’t really found itself in much before,” Strey said.