Mid-America Christian University Department of Public Safety operates 24 hours a day, which provides the MACU community with around the clock service and protection. Police and/or Public Safety Officers patrol the university on a regular basis.
In an effort to continue to provide a safe atmosphere for all students, faculty, and staff, MACU has launched several initiatives recently:
Annual Security and Fire Safety Report
(University Administrative tasks, see University Inclement Weather Policy)
The protocol for tornado “watches” and “warnings” shall be generally the same as that for severe thunderstorms. However, personnel need to be aware that warning periods may be shorter and, obviously, that damage may be more severe. MACU University will be alerted to any possible Tornado warning by the public sirens of Oklahoma City, internal University email, and the MACU Police Department Audible Alert System.
If a tornado warning has been issued and you are inside:
If a tornado warning has been issued and you are outside:
If you are involved in or witness any vehicular accident on campus, the following steps should be taken:
If you are involved in or witness a workplace accident on campus, the following steps should be taken:
Upon receiving a bomb-threat call:
Suspicious Letters and Packages
Be aware that letters and packages may also pose threats, not only from bombs, but also from biological agents such as ricin. If you receive a letter or a package whose external appearance is somehow suspect—for example, it has a powdery residue or oily stains or discolorations on it, or the postmark city is different from the return address city, follow these steps:
If you become aware only after opening it that the letter or package may pose a threat, follow steps 2-6 above.
Civil Disturbance or Demonstration
Most campus demonstrations, whether they are marches, meetings, pickets or rallies, are peaceful and non-obstructive. However, in the event that they are not, or in the event that disruptive demonstrations in the community spill over to the campus, the procedures outlined below shall be followed. The statutory authority for these procedures is what stipulates that it is unlawful for any person to willfully or unnecessarily interfere with or disturb in any way or in any place the students of any school or college in the state. Additionally, this statute indicates that it is unlawful for any person to enter, except on business, any such school or college premises without the permission of the principal or president.
There are two sensory indicators of earthquakes: sound and motion. Both vary widely. Depending on your distance from the center of the quake, you may not notice any sound. Or you may notice sounds that resemble anything from a rifle shot to rumbling thunder. Motion may obviously range from a very minor shake to a catastrophic shifting of the earth. The most earthquakes in Oklahoma are very minor and require no emergency procedures; however, more severe earthquakes have occurred in the area and remain potential threats. Should you experience any significant shaking of a building or the earth, the following procedures should be followed.
Each emergency first aid situation is unique; therefore, the steps you should take in response to these situations may vary, as may the order of the steps. What does not vary, however, is that all injuries and illnesses requiring medical attention must be reported to the MACU Police Department. While it is impossible to address every conceivable injury or illness, the following procedures generally apply.
Fire Drills and Emergency Evacuations
To help assure your safety, all University buildings have clearly marked and illuminated emergency exit signs which indicate evacuation routes. In some buildings, these signs remain illuminated at all times; in other buildings, they become illuminated when a fire alarm is activated or the power is disrupted. The University regularly tests the lighting in these signs to assure that it is adequate day and night. Additionally, buildings have emergency lighting systems which provide illumination for a short period of time sufficient to permit evacuation. In order to acquaint everyone with the sound of the fire alarm and the exit routes to be followed, the MACU Police Department conducts unannounced fire drills on a regular basis. It is each employee’s responsibility to make sure he/she knows the proper evacuation routes. Additionally, faculty members and supervisors assume the role of monitors/coordinators for their students and subordinates during such drills or actual emergencies. Therefore, faculty members/supervisors should:
Additional Note: Student Life will obtain information from disabled students regarding their preference for method of evacuation—e.g., with or without wheelchairs during an evacuation and will include that information on the faculty notification form. The instructor will identify a primary and alternate student/employee to assist the disabled person during an emergency. Instructors should designate these primary and alternate students during the first class period.
Supervisors should designate these employees as staff changes. Additionally, instructors should assign students with disabilities to seats nearest to the door to expedite their evacuation, if this does not interfere with their academic programs.
The following steps should be followed if a gas leak is suspected:
Pandemic influenza is a global disease outbreak. Three pandemics have occurred in 1918, 1957, and 1968 with the most deadly occurring in 1918 killing approximately 50 million people worldwide. An influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus emerges for which there is little or no immunity in the human population, begins to cause serious illness, and then spreads easily person-to-person worldwide. In the event of pandemic influenza, the University will play a key role in protecting students’ and employees’ health and safety as well as limiting the negative impact to the academic mission and the business infrastructure. The University’s strategies that delay or reduce the impact of a pandemic (also called non-pharmaceutical interventions) may help reduce the spread of disease until a vaccine is available.
The State has adopted the World Health Organization’s structure for monitoring Pandemic Influenza. The structure is divided into three distinct periods (Inter-pandemic, Pandemic Alert, and Pandemic) and 6 phases.
Phase 1: No new influenza virus subtypes have been detected in humans. An influenza virus subtype that has caused human infection may be present in animals. If present in animals, the risk of human infection or disease is considered to be low.
Phase 2: No new influenza virus subtypes have been detected in humans. However, a circulating animal influenza virus subtype poses a substantial risk of human disease.
Phase 3: Human infection(s) with a new subtype but no human-to-human spread, or at most rare instances of spread to a close contact.
Phase 4: Small cluster(s) with limited human-to-human transmission but spread is highly localized, suggesting that the virus is not well adapted to humans.
Phase 5: Larger cluster(s) but human-to-human spread still localized, suggesting that the virus is becoming increasingly better adapted to humans but may not yet be fully transmissible (substantial pandemic risk).
Phase 6: Pandemic: increased and sustained transmission in general population.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed a Pandemic Severity Index (PSI) (Table 1) that uses hurricane categories as a model to help the public gauge the severity of a pandemic. The PSI is divided into five categories with 1 being the least severe and 5 being the most severe and is based on the total U.S. population. The CDC has also developed a mitigation strategy table (Table 2) for implementation of interventions to reduce transmission of illness in the community.
All pandemic influenza action plans will be updated and reviewed by department heads and directors by April 15 and July 1 of each year, and placed on the appropriate MACU web page. All pandemic influenza supplies and equipment shall be in place and, if appropriate, tested by May 15. Pandemic action plans shall address the following:
Response actions of essential personnel concerning personnel assignments, course delivery, student support infrastructure, business activities, communications, and all other University functions will be made using Tables 1 and 2 as a guide in implementing departmental business continuity plans.
The MACU Police Department or other University designee is to monitor the implementation and enforcement of the Catastrophic Health Emergency Powers Act.
Once Oklahoma Department of Health has declared pandemic influenza is no longer a threat in the local area, the recovery period begins, and the following actions will be taken.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed a Pandemic Severity Index (PSI) (Table 1) that uses hurricane categories as a model to help the public gauge the severity of a pandemic. The PSI is divided into five categories with 1 being the least severe and 5 being the most severe and is based on the total U.S. population.
The CDC has also developed a mitigation strategy (Table 2) for implementation of interventions to reduce transmission of illness in the community.
Procedures for responding to power and water outages are divided into two sections: Individual Response and Institutional Response:
If you are on the first floor and have sufficient daylight to continue working safely, you should do so. If you do not have sufficient daylight to continue working safely, or if you are instructed to do so by the MACU Police Department, move to an exit with natural light or to an outside location, weather permitting.
A psychological crisis might manifest itself on campus in a number of ways, including, among other possibilities, threats against others, threats against oneself, emotional breakdowns, and alcohol or drug abuse. If you witness a psychological crisis, the most important thing to remember is that the University has on-staff expertise, as well as access to additional community resources, to help resolve a crisis situation. Therefore, your primary responsibility is not to attempt to serve as a crisis counselor; rather, it is simply to notify the proper authorities so that appropriate professionals can address the situation as quickly as possible. The essential steps for dealing with a psychological crisis on campus shall include the following:
Workplace violence is a term that has generally been used to describe threatening behavior, acts of violence, or property damage perpetrated by employees. However, the term is not limited to threats or acts committed by employees. It may properly describe threats or acts committed by a host of others when those threats or acts occur on campus or off-campus at University-sponsored events. Those others include, but are not necessarily limited to, students; vendors; visitors; spouses/friends of students, staff, and faculty; and criminals. Also included in this definition are the actual or implied verbal and non-verbal threats, harassment, intimidation, and disruptive behavior that may lead to physical harm or property damage.
Shootings and other violent acts are unpredictable, and your immediate response depends on the situation you face. The following guidelines are based on the best practices established by law enforcement experts.
If it is possible to do so safely, exit the building immediately when you become aware of an incident, moving away from the immediate path of danger, and take the following steps:
If you are directly involved in an incident and exiting the building is not possible, take the following actions:
When instructed by the MACU Police Department to initiate a "Lockdown" of the campus or specific building(s), the following procedure is to be implemented.
In the event of a police emergency, e.g. "Active Shooter", it may become necessary to "Lockdown" a building or buildings on campus to protect occupants and minimize the overall exposure to danger.
A "Lockdown" is the temporary sheltering technique, e.g. 30 minutes to several hours, utilized to limit civilian exposure to an "Active Shooter" or similar dangerous incident. When alerted, occupants of any building within the subject area will lock or secure, to the best of their ability, all doors and windows not allowing entry to anyone until the “all clear” has been sounded by the MACU Police Department. This procedure converts any building into a large "Safe Room."
MACU PD is responsible for:
If the risk assessment determines the need to secure a building or buildings to protect the campus community and to prevent an escalation of the emergency, the Chief of the MACU PD or designee will give the order to "Lockdown" specific areas or the entire campus.
Notice that a "Lockdown" has been issued will be broadcast over the ALERT system and by other appropriate means, by the MACU PD, with assistance from the Information Technology division.
If preceding an order to "Lockdown" you hear gunshots in or around your building or once the notice to "Lockdown" have been issued by the MACU PD take the following action:
If you are instructed to evacuate a given building or buildings, please refer to the University’s Emergency Response Plan for instructions on evacuation.
In case of medical or other emergency a MACU PD entry team supervisor must be in direct contact with a University staff or faculty member from the affected building, prior to entering any building after the "Lockdown" has been declared. The team supervisor and the faculty/staff member will establish:
An individual or organization responsible for the coordination of any special event must be familiar with and include the following information as part of their event planning:
Annually, members of the MACU PD and Faculty/Staff members shall participate in training on the University’s "Lockdown" procedure. Faculty/Staff members will be required to review their specific building plans.
Building staff are to receive a copy of the University’s Lockdown procedure and the plan for their specific building. The distribution of these plans is to coincide with the annual training. Distribution of the plans is the responsibility of the MACU PD.
MACU's Emergency Alert System (EAS) is used to communicate vital information to students and employees as quickly as possible before, during and after a campus emergency. The EAS consists of an audible announcement broadcast into the main building, student center and dorm courtyards.
Also, should an incident occur, a message with important information, will be published in banner form on the University website.
MACU Main Campus:
3500 S.W 119th Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73170
University Offices:
(405) 691-3800
College of Arts and Sciences Admissions:
(405) 692-3281
College of Adult and Graduate Studies Admissions:
(888) 888-2341
Adult and Graduate Student Services:
(877) 569-3198