I was surprised earlier today to receive a text from the security alert system on campus about a “minor” stabbing, and then a couple of other updates on this. This freep piece, “Police searching for suspect in stabbing at Eastern Michigan University,” sums it up reasonably well.
Though it does raise a lot of questions. What the heck is the deal here? Anyone out there know?
Posted in In the media..., Security and Safety
I saw this story on the channel 4 last night: “WSU Police Give Warning Tickets to Vulnerable Cars.” Here’s also a link to the video– I guess I can’t embed it. Basically, Wayne State police and other volunteers have been putting “tickets” on cars that they see as being inviting to crime– you know, cars where there’s a laptop laying on the front seat, that sort of thing. This struck me as a really good idea, the sort of thing that I think we ought be doing here at EMU.
From annabor.com, “Students’ personal information improperly provided to third party, Eastern Michigan University says.” There was an email sent around to people about this earlier in the week, too. The only two things I’ll say here is I agree with two of the comments on this thread: this sort of thing, while still not “common,” is probably the way most “identity theft” happens nowadays. It’s certainly a bigger risk than someone going through your garbage.
Second, good security begins on the user-end, so keep track of those passwords and credit card expenses!
A loyal EMUTalk.org reader and concerned parent sent me this message and photos anonymously this morning:
Dear EMUTalk.org,
I have attached two photographs of an unusually treacherous-seeming condition at that Rackham Hall entrance to the EMU Children’s Institute. The concrete landing just above the first floor entrance has been leaking gravel, dust, and increasingly large chips in recent days. I assume this condition is worsened by the day/night thawing and freezing cycles we’ve been having lately. This is especially alarming to parents who walk their young children through the doors twice each day. When I mentioned it to the office staff at the CI, I was told they have been having a difficult time getting anyone to take it seriously as a point of urgent concern. They also said they’ve been told that no larger pieces of concrete will be falling any time soon. Still the sidewalk below bears fresh, daily evidence that the ledge is crumbling, and the yellow police tape across the second floor exit is not exactly reassuring as it suggests that somebody doesn’t regard the landing as solid enough to walk on. It sure would be a shame for an unexpectedly large chunk to fall from the ledge when someone was walking below.
Sincerely,
Where Can I Get a Hard Hat For My Tot?
Here are the pictures of the crumbling landing:
For those of you not familiar, this landing is on the north side of Rackham– the same side as the playground for the Children’s Institute. Now, I don’t know if this is comforting or even more distressing, but this landing has been in a pretty drastic state of disrepair for some time. I remember wondering about it when my son was in that program eight years ago. But I don’t remember it “leaking” as my correspondent here describes, and you’d figure after almost a decade, someone could get around to fixing it.
So, buildings and grounds people: what do you think? Can some get over there and take care of this before there’s a headline along the lines of “Crumbling Stairway on EMU’s Campus Collapses, Kills 3 Pre-Schoolers?”
Just the other day, I received this “Emergency Flip Chart” in my campus mail– I assume everyone else did too– courtesy of EMU’s Department of Public Safety. If you somehow didn’t receive this colorful and well done flip chart (my cell phone picture does not do it proper justice), you can see the full content on this less well done web site.
My first reaction (well, this was one I should say that was prompted by one of my colleagues too) was that this is the classic institutional “Cover Your Ass” document. The next time someone tries to sue EMU for distress caused by being trapped in an elevator, my guess is that EMU’s initial response will be “Well, did you follow the instructions for elevator emergencies published in the flip chart? No? We don’t think you have a claim here, my friend.” Or worse yet if there is a shooter loose on campus: no one can argue that EMU was unprepared because there’s a flip chart.
My second reaction was I am unlikely to have my flip chart handy when responding to an explosion or or a hazardous chemical spill. A close third reaction was that much of the writing here is hilarious in a sort of black humor sorta way. It’s not on the web site, but the instructions on the flip chart itself for what to do about being trapped in an explosion include something about waving around a flashlight so rescuers can see you. Great. I keep my office flashlight next to my safety flip chart!
And here’s another darkly funny set of instructions about what to do if someone calls in a bomb threat, and I swear I am not making any of this up– this is on the web site:
If a telephone bomb threat is received, remain calm and note the information the caller provides.
If possible, questions to ask:
When is the bomb to explode?
Where is the bomb located?
What kind of bomb is it?What does it look like?
Why was the bomb placed?
What will cause the bomb to explode?
What is your name and address?Caller’s Voice:
__ Calm __ Laughing __ Lisp __Disgust
__Angry __ Crying __Raspy __Accent
__Excited __Normal __ Deep __Familiar
__Slow __Distinct __Ragged
__Rapid __Slurred __Clearing throat
__Soft Nasal __Deep breathing
__Loud __Stutter __Cracking voiceIf voice familiar, who did it sound like? _________________
Background Sounds:
Street Noises __House Noises __Factory Machinery __Local
___Long Distance __Motor __Animal Noises__ Crockery
Voices __Office __ Clear __Booth
Other (if any other please list)_____________________________________________Threat Language:
___Well spoken (well educated) ___Foul ____Incoherent
__Irrational __ TapedRemarks:
Time received:___________ Date:_____________
Person received threat:_______________________ Position/title:_______________________
Phone number:_____________________________
My fourth reaction was how much did this cost? Seriously, how much? I understand there is a need to get this information out there– well, I sort of understand it– but this had to cost a couple grand to produce. Is that necessary, really?
And finally, I am of the opinion that no safety guide could possible be complete without information on what to do in response to Zombie attacks.
Remember the story the other day about the woman who was raped near EMU’s campus, the one that ran the local Detroit news outlets? Annarbor.com reported yesterday that didn’t happen: the woman was the victim of a sexual assault by an acquaintance (e.g., “date rape”) and it didn’t happen in Ypsi.
This from the Detroit FOX news outlet: “EMU Student Says She Was Raped.” Besides including video footage, this story also points out that the apartment complex where this happened– River Drive Apartments on Cornell near EMU– was busy fixing the street lights. Kinda scary.
Posted in In the media..., Security and Safety
I had read about this via a EMU DPS warning/alert, but I saw this story tonight on WDIV news: “EMU Student Fights Off Carjackers.” There’s video there too, though I can’t embed it. A pretty unbelievable story; I’m just glad to hear the woman was alright, and as always, I remind everyone to think safety first, walk with others, etc., etc.
I don’t remember this story, but apparently, the report of an armed robbery in the parking structure in April was false. From AnnArbor.com, “Ypsilanti teenager charged with falsely claiming he was robbed in EMU parking structure.”
I’m listening to a good and important story on NPR’s “Morning Edition” just now, “Campus Rape Victims: A Struggle for Justice.” The audio part of the story won’t be available until later today, but the text is there now. I think it illustrates the problem of rape on college campuses, and it also mentions EMU in and the Dickinson murder:
The federal Department of Education regulates schools under the Clery Act. But it has fined offending schools just six times. Most fines have been small. The biggest — for $350,000 — came against Eastern Michigan University. Administrators there covered up the 2006 rape and murder of a student, 22-year-old Laura Dickinson, letting her parents think she’d died suddenly of natural causes.
Though that mention of EMU didn’t make the audio portion of the story….
