On Thursday, April 23, from 9-11 a.m., Texas A&M University-Commerce underwent a crisis drill.
If the drill caused any disturbance in the affected building, faculty and staff were supposed to inform students or fellow office workers to remain calm, that a “drill” was being conducted by University Police and the commotion would be quieting down in a few minutes. Faculty was also advised not to cancel or dismiss classes.
The crisis drill was planned in detail and included members of the theater department, UPD, Commerce Police Department and A&M-Commerce faculty.
“Members of the campus community, including faculty, staff and students played specific roles to simulate an active shooter on campus,” university police chief Donna Spinato, said. “Portions of the Emergency Operation plan were implemented and the warning alerts were activated and reviewed.”
The drill began when a student from the theater department entered the McDowell Administration Building armed with a fake gun, followed by a UPD officer holding a gun with blanks in it. During the drill, several students were “wounded” and a few were “killed.” Emergency vehicles, CPD and UPD all arrived on scene. A helicopter also landed to take the “wounded” to a nearby hospital. In the scenario, an irate student was attempting to go after the provost of the university. During the drill, faculty within the McDowell Administration Building, including President Dan Jones, were instructed to turn off the lights in their office, lock the doors and hide under their desks.
“This drill was an attempt to gauge our response to a shooter situation,” Spinato said. “It included many additional emergency first responders, from various entities and jurisdictions. The duration of the event was 8-11 a.m., which included an hour of pre-planning and safety checks for all participants.”
During the course of the drill, the university’s PAWS alert system sent a series of texts, emails and pre-recorded voice messages to students, faculty and staff.
The alert system displayed some flaws. The second PAWS alert phone message sent out to students didn’t contain the words “this is a drill” at the beginning of the message, creating confusion among some students who inexplicably missed the many emails, signs and even the first message warning about the event. An off-campus student even called a news station after receiving the message.
“We learned several things from the drill,” Randy Jolly, executive director of the marketing communications department said. “One of the most important things was that students don’t check their email very regularly, which is understandable considering the flood of emails they get.”
Overall, however, the drill was considered a success.
“I feel that the drill was successful for all involved,” Spinato said. “Anytime you get the opportunity to be proactive and educate people regarding safety, it is beneficial. We at Texas A&M-Commerce are committed to the safety and wellbeing of our university, city and surrounding communities. This exercise was a measure to prepare us as a team if a situation where to present itself.”
Jolly also considered the drill worth the effort put into it.
“The UPD performed flawlessly. They neutralized the threat much more quickly than we had anticipated,” he said. “Everyone involved took the drill seriously.”