2008 Woodie Awards
Georgetown prepares for a terrorist attack
Student reaction is mixed, doubful
Nicholas Wheeler
Issue date: 4/2/03 Section: News
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by Nicholas Wheeler
“You cannot hold a straight face, put your hand on your child’s shoulder, and say: ‘Son, here is your World War II-era breathing unit.’”
But this is, in a somewhat abridged form, precisely what happened to a current Georgetown freshman last fall. The student, who asked to remain anonymous, described the supplies his worried parents shipped him off to school with a full prescription of Cipro to ward off the effects of an anthrax attack, potassium iodide for a radiological attack, and, as noted above, a gas mask with 12 hours of breathing time.
These precautions may seem like overkill to most students; however, the fact that some are taking such steps is indicative of the kind of security climate in which Georgetown now finds itself after Sept. 11 and during the onset of war in Iraq. On March 17 and 21, Senior Vice President Spiros Dimolitsas sent broadcast e-mails to the entire University community outlining the measures the University is taking to address the security threat. On March 25, the alert horn which would be used to signal the beginning of a “Sheltering-In-Place” in the event of a terrorist attack was tested. And, according to Bob Robinson, Director of Housing Operations, safety drills and evacuations have been practiced recently in Healy Hall, the Leavey Center, and the Intercultural Center.
While it is clear that the University is increasing its efforts to improve emergency response, it remains unclear how effectively it is conveying important information to the student body — and, perhaps more importantly, it is unclear how seriously those students who are getting the message are taking the security threat.
Interviews and surveys conducted by The Independent suggest that, while there is a definite minority that is preparing actively for an emergency situation, the vast majority is either indifferent or not attuned to University policy and warnings.
What, if any, repercussions this state of affairs will have, only time — and luck — may tell.
“You cannot hold a straight face, put your hand on your child’s shoulder, and say: ‘Son, here is your World War II-era breathing unit.’”
But this is, in a somewhat abridged form, precisely what happened to a current Georgetown freshman last fall. The student, who asked to remain anonymous, described the supplies his worried parents shipped him off to school with a full prescription of Cipro to ward off the effects of an anthrax attack, potassium iodide for a radiological attack, and, as noted above, a gas mask with 12 hours of breathing time.
These precautions may seem like overkill to most students; however, the fact that some are taking such steps is indicative of the kind of security climate in which Georgetown now finds itself after Sept. 11 and during the onset of war in Iraq. On March 17 and 21, Senior Vice President Spiros Dimolitsas sent broadcast e-mails to the entire University community outlining the measures the University is taking to address the security threat. On March 25, the alert horn which would be used to signal the beginning of a “Sheltering-In-Place” in the event of a terrorist attack was tested. And, according to Bob Robinson, Director of Housing Operations, safety drills and evacuations have been practiced recently in Healy Hall, the Leavey Center, and the Intercultural Center.
While it is clear that the University is increasing its efforts to improve emergency response, it remains unclear how effectively it is conveying important information to the student body — and, perhaps more importantly, it is unclear how seriously those students who are getting the message are taking the security threat.
Interviews and surveys conducted by The Independent suggest that, while there is a definite minority that is preparing actively for an emergency situation, the vast majority is either indifferent or not attuned to University policy and warnings.
What, if any, repercussions this state of affairs will have, only time — and luck — may tell.