E.M.O.C. Emergency Management on Campus: Student Assistance in University Disasters

1. E.M.O.C.Emergency Management on Campus:Student Assistancein University Disasters K.C. Rondello, M.D., M.P.H. Department of Emergency Management Adelphi University Prepared for the Emergency Management Institute Higher Education Conference – June, 2009

2. The Campus as a Business • Full Time/Part Time Employees • Management Structure • Payroll/Budget • Accounts Payable/Accounts Receivable • Human Resources • Collective Bargaining/Unions • Maintenance/Housekeeping

3. The Campus as a City • Police/Security • Engineering/Physical Plant • Motor Pool • Apartment/Dormitories/Residential Life • Hospital/Health Services • Restaurant/Food Services • Banking/Financial Services • Library/Research Services

4. The Campus as an Institution of Higher Education • Shared Governance • Administration, Faculty, Students, Staff • Community mission • Center for Research and Advancement • Library Collections and Historic Artifacts

5. “The answer lies within…” • Campuses are communities, and must plan as a community would • In a widespread disaster, available municipal resources will be severely limited • Campuses must learn to maximize their internal resources • Universities understand faculty/staff resources well, but understand student resources poorly!

6. Student Majors with Possibly Valuable Skills/Abilities for EM • Emergency Management • Medical/Nursing/Public Health • Social Work • Education • Engineering • Environmental Studies • Business • Public Administration • Communications/Media/Public Relations

7. Why students make GOOD resources • High energy • Flexible schedules • Physical work (sandbagging, patient intake, etc.) • Limited family obligations • Limited employment obligations • Understand the student population’s perspective • Training as part of University's overall mission to educate • Fraction of the cost of hiring staff members • Lifelong skills that can be applied to any career path

8. Why students make POOR resources • Turnover of ~25% annually • International and Out-of-State students • Age of population (maturity) • Disruption of studies

9. Why survey students’ skills/willingness? • Student assets are poorly understood and rarely quantified • Early identification of assets allows for proactive organizing and training • Gaps in abilities can be identified and addressed • Survey itself might prompt increased student involvement • Specific demographics can be targeted for training, organization and/or advanced education

10. Adelphi University • Founded in 1896, first institution of higher education on Long Island • 4 campuses: • Garden City • Manhattan • Hauppauge • Hudson Valley • 8,603 students from 40 states and 49 foreign countries: • 60% Undergraduate • 60% Full Time • 76% Female • 22% Undergraduates living on campus

11. Campus Disaster Resources Surveyfor Students • IRB approved 3 page questionnaire with 1 page informed consent, presented in fold-over format • Administered September – December 2008 by graduate student researchers • Approximately 10 minutes to complete • Three sections: • Demographics • Abilities • Willingness/Awareness • Data entered and analyzed in SPSS • Results to be published in EM and Campus Safety journals

12. Campus Disaster Resources Survey for Students

13. Campus Disaster Resources Survey for Students

14. Gender Age Ethnicity Full Time v. Part Time Class On v. Off Campus Co-inhabitants Employment Status Campus Activities Distance from Campus Demographic Questions

15. Licenses/Certifications EMT/Paramedic RN/LPN/NA PA/NP MD/DO LCSW OSHA/FEMA Memberships EMS/Fire Agency CERT Team American Red Cross Salvation Army Disaster Preparedness Training Adelphi EM Courses EMI Coursework Proficiencies Computers Media/Public Relations LOTE Statistics Leadership Abilities Questions

16. Willingness/Awareness Questions • Five step Likert Scale rating both “willing to participate” and “able to participate” under various conditions: • On campus • Off campus, but on Long Island • Contagious disease, with vaccination/prophylaxis • Contagious disease, no known vaccination/prophylaxis • With additional disaster training

17. Preliminary Results Demographics Abilities/Skills Willingness and Awareness

18. Survey Specifics • Sample Size: 501 respondents • Data Entry: January – March 2009 • Data Analysis: April – May 2009 • Analyses Performed: • Descriptive Statistics • Cross tabulations • Pearson Chi-Square Tests

19. Gender

20. Ethnicity

21. Full Time vs. Part Time

22. Class Year

23. On Campus vs. Off Campus

24. Co-inhabitants

25. Employment Status

26. Student Activities

27. Distance from Campus

28. Professional Certifications/Licenses

29. Emergency Services Agencies

30. Overall Willingness and Ability

31. Observations/Conclusions • Large number of students are willing to respond on-campus regardless of any level of training • No difference in willingness to train prior: • Male vs. Female • Ethnicity • On Campus vs. Off Campus • Significant difference in willingness to respond: • Little/No Risk to Health vs. Regardless of Risk

32. Limitations • Adelphi is not representative of all university campuses • Size, location, demographics • Undergraduate sample disproportionately high vs. graduate sample • Difficulty in reaching out to graduate students • Student data changes every year due to turnover • Inherent in a university setting • Willingness measures need to be tested • Respondents may have the best intentions, but…

33. Further Study Questions • Similar surveys for: • Faculty and Staff • Adelphi’s other campuses • Different universities • Repeat survey administration following an educational initiative • Will responses change over time given world events/increased awareness?

34. Thank You! • Please hold questions/comments to the end • Contact information: K.C. Rondello, M.D., M.P.H. Adelphi University 1 South Avenue Garden City, NY 11530 Office: 516-877-4544 E-mail: Rondello@adelphi.edu