Personal Well Being
First of all, be mindful of yourself and other people. Take care of yourself. The news and the images are horrifying and even if you feel okay, the news may resonate in your subconscious. Don't be afraid to talk to someone about your feelings. LUC's student wellness has mental health services o. Talk to a friend or parent or teacher. Exercise. Working out provides as much for your mental well-being as it does for your physical well-being. And, get out in nature. A walk along the lake or getting outside for 15 minutes has proven mental and physical health benefits. But also be mindful of others. Students each bring their own unique background to understand this issue. And each student is affected uniquely. Be mindful of your peers. Some students may be deeply affected by these incidents. And other students may identify with gun ownership as a part of their personal identity. It may be deeply ingrained just like a person's religion or sports team loyalty. Discussing guns can be deeply personal.
Feel Empowered
Don't feel like you cannot do anything. There are a number of important ways that you can protect yourself helping you feel like you have control over some aspect of your safety. Try to be aware of dynamics of where you are. Know the exits. There are almost always multiple exits out of any location. Be aware of the various escape routes so that you know the fastest way out and if that is not possible, you know a secondary way out. Run Hide Fight. Memorize this mantra so that in a situation you can quickly remind yourself of the strategy. First, if you know where the threat is and you can escape it - run. Get to a safe or secure location. If you cannot escape the situation, hide if you can. This is typically what students have learned in lockdown drills - find a place where you can't be seen, turn off lights, barricade entrances into your space. Some doors have special locks to prevent the hinge from opening, otherwise a belt or extension cord is useful. Lastly, be prepared to fight if confronted by the threat. Lots of objects can become defensive weapons - water bottles, laptops, books, fire extinguishers, whatever is available. Finally, feel empowered by reviewing the specific plans of where you - specifically, Loyola has the following multi-faceted plan in place:
From Campus Safety:
Loyola Alert
If you have not yet registered for Loyola Alert, the University’s emergency alert system, please do so at LUC.edu/alert. If you previously signed up, please visit LUC.edu/alert to ensure that your contact information is up to date. We strongly encourage everyone to register. This system is only used to notify the community in the case of ongoing, on-campus incidents that have an imminent threat to loss of life.
Examples include:
Active shooter incidents
Health emergencies (as ordered by public health authorities)
National civil emergencies
Threats of violence
Active Shooter Response Plan
While Loyola police officers, and other law enforcement agencies, train regularly for potential active shooter scenarios, it is important for all students, faculty, and staff to understand the Campus Safety Active Shooter Response plan which addresses how students, faculty, and staff should respond to this type of situation, and what the Loyola community can expect from our campus police officers.
The plan follows the FBI’s Run, Hide, Fight model: Regardless of where you are, you should RUN. If you are unable to RUN, you should HIDE. If RUNNING and HIDING are not an option, you need to FIGHT. Please consult the Quick Reference Guide for more information.
Campus Safety also provides a critical assessment and educational program, through our ASOC training team, that prepares groups within the community with plans for their safety on campus in the event of dangerous circumstances. The ASOC team is available through asksafety@LUC.edu and the department encourages you to avail yourselves of this program.
Classroom Panic Alarm
All classrooms on the Lake Shore, Water Tower, and Health Sciences campuses have classroom panic alarms. Should a security emergency arise, any person can quickly and easily notify the Department of Campus Safety via the instructor keyboard by pressing the F9 and F11 keys simultaneously. Doing so will send an immediate and discrete alert to campus police, who will dispatch officers to the classroom. No audible or visible alarm will be made inside the classroom except a small popup window on the task bar of the classroom computer. The classroom workstation does not need to be logged in for the notification to be sent, just powered on. Read more here.
Lockdown Hardware
Familiarize yourself with the classrooms and meeting rooms you frequently use. Verify that the room is equipped with the University’s lockdown hardware; this can be done by looking at the bottom of the door to check to see if the door and floor plates are installed, and that the locking device is in the container immediately accessible to the door. Further instructions for lockdown hardware can be found here.
Campus Safety would also like to remind those in the Loyola community who may need support that counseling resources are available to students through the Wellness Center at luc.edu/wellness and to faculty and staff through the University’s Employee Assistance Program.
The safety and well-being of the Loyola community is Campus Safety’s top priority. If you need emergency assistance on any of the three campuses, you can reach the Campus Safety Dispatcher at 773.508.SAFE (7233). This line is monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The Trinity Security desk at HSC is still available at 708.216,9077 and they can contact Campus Safety as well.
In the event of an emergency, you can also call 9-1-1 from all three campuses. Do not hesitate to call for police assistance – we are here for you.
If you have questions or concerns about any of the items detailed here, please contact asksafety@LUC.edu.
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