Campus Emergency Preparedness Plan: The administration has developed and has been practicing an emergency preparedness plan since the 1990s. We have emergency plans and guidelines in place to cope with most campus emergencies, including events such as terrorism events, fires, natural disasters such as severe weather and earthquakes, and medical emergencies such as an outbreak of infectious disease. The campus has held building evacuation drills and has established an emergency operations center (EOC) with all necessary equipment, including satellite telephones in the event land lines and cell phones are not working. The EOC has gone through "tabletop exercises" using a variety of mock scenarios testing our processes. We review our plan and regularly hold debriefing sessions to improve our readiness to handle events that could happen.  The full plan is located on the Web site at http://www5.semo.edu/dps/EmergencyPlan.asp

University Police: The Department of Public Safety (DPS) is fully staffed by licensed, professional police officers and is open 24 hours a day seven days a week. DPS operates three shifts working both foot patrols and vehicle patrols throughout campus. All University police officers are armed and empowered to make arrests by both state and city police commissions. The State Police Commission provides University police officers with jurisdiction on any real property owned or operated by the University. The City Police Commission extends the police authority beyond campus to the city limits of Cape Girardeau.

Campus Community Safety: Although students, faculty, staff and visitors to our campus who use good judgment rarely experience a safety issue on campus, Southeast does provide several programs to ensure safety.

• Campus watch line (573) 651-2595 is provided for anyone who may wish to report crime or suspicious activity anonymously or provide confidential information about crime.
• Lighted corridor and emergency call boxes run from the southern-most section of campus to the Show Me Center. There are 57 Emergency Call Boxes along the lighted corridor and located at other locations around campus. Anyone with an emergency may utilize the call boxes by pressing the red "HELP" button on the call box. The call is automatically sent to the Department of Public Safety dispatcher via the 911 emergency phone system. A uniformed police officer will be dispatched to the activated phone. The caller can also communicate the nature of the emergency to the dispatcher while the responding police unit is en route.
• Closed Circuit Television - the University Police Department utilizes a state-of-the-art closed circuit color camera system to enhance the safety of the entire University community. Cameras are located at multiple sites around campus.  Both fixed and pan/tilt/zoom cameras are used to provide as much coverage as possible. The cameras allow multiple indoor and outdoor locations to be viewed and recorded simultaneously. All cameras are recorded 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This recording capability allows the department to review tapes after the fact to detect and identify problems or crimes on campus. The camera system is an important tool used by the department to help increase the safety of all members of the University community and their property.
• Outdoor emergency siren system is designed to provide an alert to severe weather and other impending danger. The National Weather Service and/or storm spotters and local emergency management agencies initiate all weather siren alerts. The siren system can also be used for other types of emergencies. When warranted, the sirens will sound and will be followed by a live public address message advising the campus community of impending danger or an emergency.  The full description of the siren warnings can be found at http://www5.semo.edu/dps/SirenSystem.asp
• Information Technology department has a procedure in place to update students, faculty, and staff electronic mailing lists on a daily basis and has refined our "student locator" program that permits identifying where students are on the campus at any given time of day.
• Evacuation routes have been established for each campus building and are posted just inside the door of each building.  A designated building coordinator is responsible for implementing emergency evacuation plans, with which everyone should become familiar.
• Security Escorts are available during the evening hours of regular academic semesters (8 p.m. to midnight) by calling Public Safety at (573) 651-2215.
• University shuttle service is available for transportation from classes, academic programs and activities to campus residences and parking lots.  It operates seven days a week during the academic year.  Hours of operation and a map of the routes can be accessed at http://www5.semo.edu/dps/Parking/index.asp
• Crime Prevention Presentations and Programs – Department of Public Safety officers provide crime prevention presentations and programs on subjects relating to crime reporting, crime prevention and public safety to the University community and surrounding area. The department makes available presentations and brochures on several crime prevention programs. For access to those programs, visit the DPS Web site at http://www5.semo.edu/dps/UniversityPolice/prevention.asp  
• An Emergency Quick Reference is distributed to the campus community at the beginning of each academic year.  All members of the campus are urged to read through the reference and to review it on a regular basis.  The reference provides details on what actions to take in case of evacuation, fire, earthquake, tornado, medical or other emergencies and can be found on the Web at http://www5.semo.edu/dps/QuickRef.asp
• Indoor Emergency Announcement System is in the implementation process across the campus.  This system will allow emergency communications to be made inside all campus buildings. The implementation process has several phases for installation over a period of several years.  The first goal will be to implement the system in the residence halls.
• Emergency Text Messaging System is being investigated and evaluated with plans to select a program and to allow students, faculty and staff to voluntarily sign up for the program in the future.

Residence Hall Safety: In our residence halls, we have implemented several security measures to ensure that students living on campus have a secure environment.

• Professional staff are located in every residence hall. Each residence hall has a full-time professional hall director who lives in the building. These professionals are trained in emergency response, provide an around-the-clock presence in buildings and can immediately respond to any areas of concern.  
• Central office and hall director staff have completed the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training and certification program.
• A professional hall director is on call 24-hours-a-day and carries a dedicated cell phone. That individual’s name and phone extension are posted at the Towers Front Desk.
• Each hall director office is equipped with a two-way radio.
• Resident Assistants (RAs) live on each floor of every residence hall and are required to schedule and post six room hours on their floor each week. 
• Emergency contact information is posted for the RA on duty, the hall director of the building, front desk(s), Department of Public Safety and Center for Health and Counseling on a bulletin board next to the RAs' rooms on each floor. This information is also accessible in the Residence Life Handbook.
• Two RAs are on call every night from 5 p.m. until 8 a.m. and are required to complete several rounds throughout the building together to inspect for safety, health and security compliance.  They carry a cell phone and are identifiable by name badges.
• Main entrances to every residence hall are locked 24-hours-a-day.
• Residents living in community-style buildings are provided two keys. The first key unlocks a door to enter the floor on which they live and the other key unlocks their room. Stairwell doors are also locked.
• Each resident room door in Towers East, Towers South and Cheney is equipped with deadbolt hardware.
• Door prop alarms are installed in many of the high-traffic entrance doors to each of the residence halls. Under this system, an alarm will sound if any main residence hall entrance door is propped open for longer than 15 seconds.
• There is a 24-hour-a-day, seven days a week accessible Customer Service Desk at Towers.
• At the Towers Complex, adjacent to the Towers Front Desk, is a Department of Public Safety satellite station. Officers operate part-time from the satellite station and bring additional presence and security throughout the residence halls during night hours. The main Department of Public Safety Office is located in the Dearmont Residence Complex.
• Towers North, Towers West, Group Housing and Vandiver Residence Hall rooms are equipped with a viewing device in each room door. The lounge doors in Towers South, East, Group Housing and Dearmont are equipped with a viewing device in the door as well. The viewing device allows the resident to identify visitors without opening the door.
• Each hall is equipped with an outside courtesy call box which allows non-residents to call residents to gain entrance through a secured door. Call boxes are installed on the exterior of all residence halls located on the south side of campus. Courtesy phones are installed in the Towers Complex lobby in place of the call boxes.
• The messages of crime prevention and security awareness are promoted throughout the residence halls. Residents are encouraged to keep their room door locked at night and whenever they leave their rooms, report suspicious situations, take responsibility for making sure doors are not propped and escort their guests in the halls at all times.

Emergency Communication: The University places a high priority on communicating emergency information to the students, faculty and staff.  Southeast currently relies on a multitude of layered communication tools to relay emergency information, including:

• An outdoor warning system which utilizes both a system of alert sirens and can also be voice-activated to provide specific information.  
• University’s Home Page on the Web site at http://www.semo.edu/ – watch for a flashing “Urgent Alert” which will convey any emergency communication.
• An emergency alert message can be posted within the student portal, “My Southeast,” so students accessing their e-mail will be automatically notified. 
• Emergency e-mail messages can be sent out to all students, faculty and staff.
• All regional media can be notified of any emergency situations so the campus community can access that information through a radio or television station (see the list of media outlets at  http://www.semo.edu/safety/communication.htm) 
• Students, faculty and staff who have land-line telephones on the campus can be notified of emergency communications through an audix messaging system on their phones.
• Indoor Emergency Announcement System is in the implementation process across the campus.  This system will allow emergency communications to be made inside all campus buildings. The implementation process has several phases for installation over a period of several years.  The first goal will be to implement the system in the residence halls.
• Emergency Text Messaging is being investigated and will be implemented in the near future. 

Emergency information also will be provided to regional media outlets including:

Television stations

• KFVS (Cable Channel 7) CBS, Cape Girardeau, Mo., at http://www.kfvs12.com/
• WSIL (Cable Channel 3) ABC, Carterville, Ill., at http://www.wsiltv.com/
• WPSD (Cable Channel 6) NBC, Paducah, Ken., at http://www.wpsdtv.com/
• KAIT-TV 8 ABC, Jonesboro, Ark., at http://www.kait8.com/
• KMOV-TV 4 CBS, St. Louis, Mo., at http://www.kmov.com/
• KSDK-TV 5 NBC, St. Louis, Mo., at http://www.ksdk.com/

Radio stations

• KZIM/KSIM 960 AM, Cape Girardeau & Sikeston, Mo., at http://www.960kzim.com/
• KGIR 1220 AM, Cape Girardeau, Mo., at http://www.kgir.com/
• KEZS 102.9 FM, Cape Girardeau, Mo., at http://www.k103fm.com/
• KCGQ 99.3 FM, Cape Girardeau, Mo., at http://www.kcgq.com/
• KGMO 100.7 FM, Cape Girardeau, Mo., at http://www.kgmo.com/
• KWKZ 106.1 FM, Cape Girardeau, Mo., at http://www.kwkz.com/
• KRCU 90.9 FM, Cape Girardeau, Mo. at http://www.semo.edu/sepr/ 
• KDMC 103.7 FM, Cape Girardeau, Mo., at www.semo.edu/kdmc/  
• WKRO 1490 AM, Cairo, Ill.
• WSIU 91.9 FM, Carbondale, Ill., at http://www.wsiu.org/
• KDEX 102.3 FM, Dexter, Mo., at www.kdex.com/kdex.html
• KREI 800 AM, Farmington, Mo., at http://www.krei.com/
• KTJJ 97.9 FM, Farmington, Mo., at http://www.j98.com/
• WEBQ 1240 AM, Harrisburg, Ill., at http://www.realcountryonline.com/
• KBOA 1540 AM, Kennett, Mo.
• KTMO 106.5 FM, Kennett, Mo.
• KFMO 1240 AM, Park Hills, Mo., at http://www.b104fm.com/
• KDBB 104. FM, Park Hills, Mo., at http://www.b104fm.com/
• KWOC 930 AM, Poplar Bluff, Mo., at http://www.kwoc.com/
• KKLR 94.5 FM, Poplar Bluff, Mo., at http://www.clear94.com/
• KJEZ 95.5 FM, Poplar Bluff, Mo., at http://www.kjez.com/
• KBXB 97.9 FM, Sikeston, Mo., at http://www.b98online.com/
• KRHW 1520 AM, Sikeston, Mo., at http://www.1520krhw.com/ 
• KSIM 1400 AM, Sikeston, Mo. at http://www.960kzim.com/
• KMAL 1470 AM, Sikeston, Mo. at http://www.1470kmal.com/
• KMOX 1120 AM, St. Louis, Mo., at http://www.kmox.com/

Inclement Weather: The campus of Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau is seldom closed due to inclement weather.  With numerous students residing in residence halls, on campus and in apartments and rental units close to campus, there is always a large contingent of students who can access the classrooms and buildings.  However, there have been times when hazardous ice conditions or heavy snow have necessitated the delay or canceling of classes.  In addition, the University has regional campus sites at Sikeston, Poplar Bluff, Kennett, Malden and Perryville.  Since all students attending those regional campuses are commuter students and weather conditions in those areas can vary widely from the conditions on the Cape Girardeau campus, the regional campus classes may be delayed or canceled even though the main campus is in session. However, when the main Cape Girardeau campus closes, the regional campuses will be closed as well.

Students, faculty and staff are always advised to stay up-to-date on the weather and road conditions.  If a student or employee feels he/she should not drive due to hazardous road conditions, he/she should contact their instructor(s) or their supervisor(s) as soon as possible to convey that information.  Contact information for the instructor should have been distributed to students in the class syllabus at the beginning of the semester.  In addition, contact numbers for instructors and for supervisors are located on the University’s Web site under the “People Search” icon.

School closings or delays will be communicated via the various methods as outlined in the section entitled Emergency Communication.

Helpful Links concerning emergency situations can be found at the following Web sites: 

• Fire Safety Tips - http://www.firesafety.gov/ 
• Central US Earthquake Activity - http://www.cusec.org/links/current_eqs.htm  
• National Weather Service Forecast Office  - http://www.crh.noaa.gov/pah/
• The American Red Cross – http://www.redcross.org/
• Readiness Tips - http://www.ready.gov/

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