Welcome and Safety Letter
August 24, 2009
Dear ONU Students, Families of our Students, Faculty and Staff,
Welcome back to campus! We are looking forward to a new and exciting 2009-10 academic year – one that will be filled with the promise of opportunities and ventures both in and out of the classroom. I ask, as we begin another school year, that you reflect on this special community we have at ONU.
The University is ever vigilant about issues of safety and well being for our campus community. We have established preparedness plans that provides for a wide variety of possible emergencies, including information and response plans for the H1N1 virus (swine flu), should it have an impact on the University community.
You may review the provisions for these conditions and how you can prepare by checking our Emergency Website for more information.
We follow the preparedness guidelines set forth by the national Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and we will work in conjunction with our local health department. The CDC recommends that children and young adults between the ages of six months and 25 years, pregnant women, the elderly and anyone with compromised immune systems be immunized with the 2-injection H1N1 vaccine. Right now, there is no indication of when the vaccine might become generally available. We suggest that you check with your health care provider and act accordingly.
The University’s policy regarding persons with flu-like symptoms is to have them go to their health care provider or for, ONU students, to go to the Health Center. If diagnosed with H1N1, the CDC recommends self-isolation or that the individual stay at home for at least 24 hours after the fever is gone to avoid spreading the virus. When the 2-injection vaccine becomes available to the general public, we will consider (based on immediate need) including it among the other services provided by the Health Center and during our faculty and staff “wellness fairs.”
As for our on‐campus security, we have excellent relations with the local and county law enforcement departments. We have an on‐site, outdoor siren to notify us of hazardous weather conditions and the ONU website (www.onu.edu) carries a list of instructions to reference in the event of other crises or emergency conditions.
We have had strong support for Emergency Text Messaging and hope to continue building subscription for this service to 100% of our campus population. To subscribe, students, faculty and staff should go to the Luminus home page and follow the instructions to receive emergency messages.
The Office of Student Affairs will hold meetings about flu pandemic preparedness for all residents. In addition, Residence Life staff members continue to hold periodic fire drills and each residence has a trained safety director to manage emergencies. The University’s web site will display emergency messages as needed and similar announcements are always broadcast on the radio station WONB‐FM (94.9). On-site emergency generators back up those providers.
We think of ourselves as a family here at ONU – a family that takes care of each other. I ask again that you familiarize yourself with these emergency plans and instruct others who don’t know. Be forthcoming with information that you think might jeopardize the health and well being of others. Take care of yourselves and those around you. Make good choices and help others to do the same. Be responsible and take responsibility. Be aware of your surroundings and considerate of safe practices to help us keep our campus community secure.
If you have questions or need more information, contact the University’s Risk Management Director, Ms. Lee Ann Hall (419) 772‐2501 or email her at
l‐hall@onu.edu.
I wish you all a safe, happy and productive year.
Ken Baker