Managing Volunteers During Campus Emergencies
Here’s how Tennessee State University was able to rally volunteers to help with clean up after an EF3 tornado struck campus.
Listen to this podcast using the embedded player below
You can watch or listen to the full podcast interview above. If you prefer to listen on-the-go, you can download the podcast to your mobile device on iTunes and Spotify! Make sure to follow or subscribe on your platform to be alerted of the latest episodes as soon as they become available.
At the beginning of March 2020, while the rest of the world was grappling with the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, Tennessee State University was dealt another serious blow. An EF3 tornado tore through the area and hit Tennessee State’s campus directly. It’s estimated the twister cost the university more than $20 million.
Campus Safety Voices, available on Spotify and Apple streaming platforms, features timely conversations on a wide range of topics affecting K-12 schools, institutions of higher education, and healthcare facilities.
So, in addition to having to address the pandemic, Tennessee State University Director of Emergency Management Thomas Graham, who is also one of this year’s Campus Safety Director of the Year finalists, had to deal with the aftermath of this severe tornado strike.
But Thomas was up to the challenge. He, his team and other campus administrators were ready when the tornado struck.
“Being in Nashville, we knew that one of our top threats was severe weather, and we tried to plan accordingly,” says Thomas. “We made several preparations, including becoming a storm-ready institution through the National Weather Service.”
After the storm had passed, he quickly organized a team of colleagues and more than 400 volunteers to assist with the cleanup.
“The great thing about our institution is that we often call on volunteers from alums, students, and faculty and staff members to participate in a lot of our events,” Thomas says. “We use the same planning design that we use for large events on campus, such as a commencement or football game. Our alums are very engaged, and once news broke that we had been hit, they were ready to jump at the effort to aid the institution in recovery.”
In my interview, Thomas describes his and Tennessee State’s experience before, during and after this ordeal. He also provides valuable insight on organizing volunteers and donations.
If you appreciated this podcast and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!
About the Author
Robin Hattersley, Editor-in-Chief
Robin has been covering the security and campus law enforcement industries since 1998 and is a specialist in school, university and hospital security, public safety and emergency management, as well as emerging technologies and systems integration. She joined CS in 2005 and has authored award-winning editorial on campus law enforcement and security funding, officer recruitment and retention, access control, IP video, network integration, event management, crime trends, the Clery Act, Title IX compliance, sexual assault, dating abuse, emergency communications, incident management software and more. Robin has been featured on national and local media outlets and was formerly associate editor for the trade publication Security Sales & Integration. She obtained her undergraduate degree in history from California State University, Long Beach.
