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Section 3.10.6: Financial and Physical Resources
Judgment of Compliance
 Compliance
 Partial Compliance
Non-compliance
Requirement
The institution takes reasonable steps to provide a healthy, safe, and secure environment for all members of the campus community.
Narrative
McNeese State University is in compliance with Financial and Physical Resources Comprehensive Standard 3.10.6.
McNeese State University is strongly committed to providing a healthy, safe, and secure environment for all members of the campus community. Responsibilities for different categories of health, safety, and security are assigned to various departments as described below:
Campus Safety Program
The Office of Environmental, Health, Safety, and Hazardous Waste Officer (Safety Officer) is responsible for the administering and monitoring the university’s safety program. In fulfilling this responsibility, the Safety Officer maintains the Loss Prevention Manual. This manual includes policies and procedures relating to general safety, workplace safety, and driver safety.
Each quarter, the Safety Officer provides an on-line safety training class, which is designed to train employees in the areas covered by the Loss Prevention Manual. All employees are required to participate in this program.
The Safety Officer also maintains a reference library for various safety and environmental regulations. In addition, the Safety Officer coordinates routine safety training and driver education training, as required by the Office of Risk Management. The State of Louisiana Office of Risk Management audits the university for general safety, driver safety, water vessel, bonds, and crime and equipment management. The university has successfully completed this audit.
Building Maintenance and Construction
Each quarter, building coordinators inspect their respective buildings for safety and maintenance conditions. The procedure involves completing a hazard control log and safety inspection check list. These inspections are part of the State of Louisiana Risk Management Program.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal annually inspects the University’s fire alarm systems, fire extinguishers, and fire sprinkler alarm systems. Fire suppression systems are inspected bi-annually. The University’s facilities are in compliance with the Fire Marshall’s Office.
The University has made considerable investments specific to campus safety. Over the past 8 years the University has spent in excess of $900,000 on improving site lighting on campus walkways and parking lots, on repairs to University streets, sidewalks and ramps and other safety related items.
In addition, procedures to ensure safety within residence halls include 24-hour-a-day digital video security cameras in common areas of each building or complex. Student housing has limited access through main doors only. Procedures for guest visitation have been established in accordance with MSU student housing. Residence halls are equipped with fire safety equipment that includes smoke detectors and/or heat sensors that activate the central fire alarm system. Emergency exits are equipped with alarms that sound whenever opened. Student housing staff is trained to maintain security and to summon police, fire, medical, and maintenance assistance when needed.
In performing their day to day duties, employees working in the University’s Grounds Department report any safety hazards observed on University green areas and parking lots.
Also, the University has also installed 17 call boxes located throughout the main campus, athletic complex, Pinehaven Apartments, and Recreational Complex. These call boxes enable students, employees, and visitors to call University police for help in the case of an emergency. These phones are set up so that at the push of one button immediate voice communications is established with Campus Police and a blue strobe light is activated that can easily be seen from a distance. When the call station is activated it rings at Campus Police and gives the location of the box on campus to the dispatcher who immediately dispatches a vehicle to the site. Meanwhile hands free communication is at that point established with the caller. University Police stays on line until the emergency has either ended or the on-site responder has given the clearance. The system is programmed to provide self diagnostics within 30 seconds every hour to assure the phones are in working order. If any of the phones indicate a problem it is indicated to the Campus Police Dispatch so they can call it in for repairs. At over 10’ tall the call boxes can easily be seen over vehicles and other obstacles and during normal standby operation there is a blue light on top of each call box that stays illuminated 24 hours a day and another light that illuminates the push call button so it can easily be seen in the dark.
All employees driving University owned vehicles or personal vehicles on University business must be certified to drive under the University’s Safe Driver Program and hold a valid operator’s license for the vehicle they are operating. These employees are required to take a defensive driving course every 3 years. Also, maintenance records are maintained on all University owned vehicles showing that all standard preventive maintenance is performed on all vehicles along with other repairs.
The Police department provides many service oriented functions to the McNeese community consisting of students, faculty and staff, and visitors.
The University Police department provides police and security services twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week to all McNeese students, faculty, staff, and visitors. These services generally consist of information, parking assistance, safety escort service and police protective and investigative services.
Police officers are sworn commissioned officers with the full range of police powers. They are empowered to make arrests in the matters concerning felonies and misdemeanors. Police officers are responsible for a full range of public safety services, including crime reports, investigations, medical emergencies, fire emergencies, hazardous waste emergencies, traffic accidents, parking violations, enforcement of laws regulating consumption of alcoholic beverages, and the use of controlled substances, weapons and all other incident requiring police assistance. A University Police investigator is available or on-call to conduct criminal investigations, crime prevention surveys and provide personal protection tips. Students, as well as faculty and staff, have access to information regarding campus safety, crime prevention, and other related issues. Also, the University Police maintains policies, procedures and other information relating to crime prevention, crime statistics, and illegal substances. For more information concerning also see Campus Police, see Section 2.10: Student Support Services.
Health Services
The Student Health Center offers primary clinical care for acute illness and injury. Registered nurses provide diagnosis, treatment, and appropriate referrals to community providers. Students can also see area physicians who maintain a regular schedule at the Infirmary for non-emergency cases. The University’s Health Center posts information regarding student services, hours of operation, policies, and a doctor’s schedule via the University’s web site. For more information concerning the University’s Health Center, also see Section 2.10: Student Support Services.
Counseling Services
Free counseling services are provided by licensure level interns and/or graduate interns, or practicum students from the Department of Psychology under the supervision of a licensed professional counselor. Licensed professional counselors and consultation are available to faculty, staff, and students who are experiencing personal emotional, academic, or career concerns. Information concerning this can be located on the University’s web site.
Hurricane Rita
On September 24, 2005, Hurricane Rita struck the McNeese State University Campus causing significant damage to the University’s facilities and grounds. Immediately after the storm’s passage, McNeese State University, State Facilities Planning and Control, and other personnel began preliminary damage assessments of the destruction. Based upon these preliminary assessments, McNeese State University personnel and independent contractors began removing damaged materials and other debris from the University’s buildings and grounds. Although University buildings received minimal structural damage, wind damaged roofs allowed rainwater to infiltrate the inside of the University’s buildings and coupled with the lack of electricity for 12 days, significant mold damage occurred.
Once electricity was restored, environmental remediation firms removed molded materials from the University’s buildings. These firms continually tested internal air quality until it was safe for the buildings to be reoccupied. At the same time, debris removal companies removed woody and other debris from the campus to ensure that the University’s grounds did not contain any conditions that could be dangerous.
After approximately five weeks, the University resumed the fall 2005 semester, but only with the use of a limited number of buildings. Since that time, the University has continued to reopen buildings, but some are still closed. When necessary remediation and repairs are completed, and after they are deemed safe, these buildings will reopen as well.
For more specific information about the impact that Hurricane Rita has had on the McNeese State University campus, please Section 3.10.7: Financial and Physical Resources.
Drowning Accident
On June 14, 2006, a 13 year old participant in the Governor’s Program for Gifted Children drowned in the University Recreational Complex swimming pool. A committee headed by the University’s Safety Officer, and comprised of representatives from University Police, Recreational Complex, Student Services, Facilities, Business Affairs, and the Governor’s Program for Gifted Children, was assembled to analyze the root cause of the accident. The committee concluded that appropriate procedures were exercised and that the structure of the pool did not cause the accident. The University reopened the pool on July 11, 2006.
University Police also conducted an investigation of the drowning. Investigators conducted numerous interviews of witnesses, and inspected physical evidence during the investigation. The investigation’s report concluded that at the time of the accident, the participant was swimming under water, and that because of the child’s history of having epileptic seizures, an epileptic seizure may have caused the child to drown.
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