The Youngstown State University Crisis Communications Plan provides procedures for the coordination of communications both internally and externally in the event of a crisis situation. The plan outlines the roles, responsibilities and protocols to guide the university in sharing information with all of YSU’s audiences during an emergency or crisis.
The crisis communication plan is part of a larger set of plans to manage the university’s affairs during situations that threaten operations, the safety of the community and/or the reputation of YSU. This document focuses on the communications aspect of potential crisis situations. (Please also refer to YSU communications procedures under the federal Clery Act, specifically “Emergency Notifications” and “Timely Warnings,” attached as Appendix 1 and Appendix 2.)
This plan is not intended to change the manner in which emergencies are initially reported. All emergencies on campus should be reported immediately to YSU Police.
In all communications during a crisis, the university strives to be accessible, prompt, compassionate, honest and informative. While such tenets may seem to be self-evident, it can be difficult to adhere to a clear style of communication when in crisis mode. One of the most important requirements for effective communications during an urgent situation is gathering and understanding the facts and implications of a given situation and then providing accurate and consistent information to all parties concerned. Communications from the university must be honest and forthright. It is crucial in a crisis to tell it all, tell it fast and tell the truth. Since a crisis may be sudden and without warning, this plan is designed to be flexible in order to accommodate contingencies of various types and magnitudes.
For the purpose of this plan, the word crisis refers to:
A significant emergency, dangerous situation or disturbance in the university's activities which has the potential to have a significant impact on the university’s operations and public image and which results in extensive news coverage and public scrutiny.
A crisis may fall into one of two categories for the purpose of crisis communications at YSU.
Imminent Danger/Major Disruptions
Examples: natural disaster, active
shooter/power outages, tornados
Public Relations Crisis
Examples: Penn State Beta Theta Pi
fraternity, UNC cheating
A crisis includes serious threats to life, limb and/or property, significant threats to the university’s reputation or serious threats of interruption to university business.
A crisis may include, but is not limited to: active shooter or hostage situations, weather, disease or other health threat, fire, natural disaster, violent crime, civil disturbance, sexual or physical assault, homicide and the threat of danger. (The federal Clery Act provides the following examples of significant emergencies or dangerous situations: fire, outbreak of a serious illness, earthquake, gas leak, terrorist incident, armed intruder, bomb threat, civil unrest or rioting, explosion, nearby chemical or hazardous waste spill.)
There is bound to be a degree of judgment required to determine whether any one or more of such threats are serious enough as to constitute a crisis.
Many crises occur quickly, without notice and may require immediate communications, particularly to students, employees and others on campus who are threatened or impacted by the crisis. As per the university’s Clery Act Emergency Notification procedures and YSU Alert Protocol, the YSU Police Department has the authority to assess the crisis at hand, determine what immediate communications is needed, and move forward to deliver that communication to the campus. For instance, if there is a major fire in an academic building, YSUPD would be responsible for initial communications (via YSU Alert and other means) with the campus.
In the event of a crisis, a core group of people will constitute the university’s Crisis Communications Team:
Associate Vice President, University Relations – The Associate Vice President, University Relations will serve as the liaison between the team and the President or her/his designee.
Director of University Communications/Public Information Officer – As a member of the Emergency Resouce Team (ERT) the Director of University Communications/Public Information Officer will serve as the liaison between the CCT and the ERT and will provide the CCT with the most up-to-date information on the crisis.
Assistant Director of Communications
The team will develop a plan of action and oversee communications issues throughout the crisis. The team will assess the facts of the crisis to determine the appropriate response/action and to determine a plan of action for both internal and external communications. Depending on the nature of the crisis, others can and should be drawn into the crisis communications process as appropriate to address the specific issues and threats that need to be managed.
Convening the Team
In the event of a crisis that falls under the category of Imminent Danger/Major Disruptions, the CCT will convene immediately upon notification of the crisis.
If a Public Relations Crisis should occur, the President has the primary responsibility for convening the Crisis Communications Team. If the President is not available to make the convening decision, then the Provost, Vice President for Finance and Business Operations, General Counsel and Vice President for Legal Affairs and Human Resources can make that decision. Any member of the Crisis Communications Team or the Tod Hall Leaders may also, upon discovery of a situation that she/he believes constitutes a crisis (as defined above), recommend to the President that she/he convene the Team.
All members of the CCT should have cell phones in their possession at all times.
Upon activation of the CCT, the Associate Vice President for University Relations will notify the Director of University Communications/Public Information Officer. Other individuals will be notified as needed.
If it is feasible to do so (depending on the time of day or night and/or any physical limitations of the situation), the team should gather together in person. If it is not feasible to meet physically, the Team may be convened initially by telephone.
In the event of a major campus crisis or disaster, an Emergency Operations Center will be set up in the YSU Police Department. In such a situation, the YSUPD will become the center of all information for the crisis at hand; therefore, it is advisable that the CCT convene at the YSU Police Department. The Police Department will dedicate space and resources (i.e. telephones and computers) for the Team in the PD during the crisis.
In the event of a public relations crisis, the President will call the Associate Vice President for University Relations who will then notify the Director of University Communications/Public Information Officer. Other individuals will be notified as needed. The Team will convene in the Leaders Conference Room in Tod Hall. (It is possible that the Team would first convene in Tod Hall and then move to the YSUPD as the crisis evolves, or vice versa.)
Among the duties of the Crisis Communications Team:
The Team will develop several key messages to be included in all university communications. The messages will evolve as the crisis evolves and circumstances change. The messages must be communicated as quickly as possible and regularly updated.
The chief spokespeople in the event of a crisis will be a senior leader of the university, most likely the President, as well as the Director of University Communications/Public Information Officer.
Often the only information the public receives about an emergency is through the news media; therefore, media relations is an essential component of any crisis plan. Timing is critical. Responses to a crisis must be issued as soon as possible and along as many communications channels as possible. Remember that the news media is borderless and operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The CCT will develop appropriate statements and other communications for the news media. The Team will also arrange and lead news conferences and media briefings. Keeping the news media informed gives the university a certain amount of control over the message. The media's job is to report the latest information available. If reporters don't get that information directly from the organization in crisis, they will look elsewhere and be more likely to report inaccurate facts and even rumors. The location of news conferences and briefings may largely depend on the location and nature of the crisis. One location could be the Board of Trustees Meeting Room in Tod Hall. Ideally, however, the location should be away from the crisis, the ERT and the University’s administrative offices. Other suitable locations could be the Chestnut Room or Ohio Room in Kilcawley Center or in larger areas in either Beeghly Center or Stambaugh Stadium.
Effective university crisis communications programs employ multiple and layered methods of communication with its constituencies, including students, employees, parents, alumni, trustees and community members. In the event of a crisis, the Crisis Communications Team can deploy one or all of these communications vehicles:
The offices/departments listed as responsible for each of these communications vehicles are responsible for developing individual implementation plans for each of the vehicles.
Awareness, Training and Assessment
It is imperative that all members of the CCT, Tod Hall Leaders and others on campus are familiar with the details of this plan prior to a campus crisis. The team should also undergo regular training, including running simulations in the actual use of the plan’s procedures and principles, and the training of spokespeople in communicating with the media during crisis moments. Routine simulation training should be provided.
Finally, the CCT should meet at least once after the emergency situation has subsided to assess the university’s handling of the situation and to make future recommendations to streamline and improve its procedures and communications tools.
The Crisis Communications Plan was initially developed in December 2007 as recommendations to the President and President’s Cabinet. The Plan was developed by a Crisis Communications Planning Group, chaired by the Vice President of University Advancement. The Office of Marketing and Communications modified the Plan in October 2008. The plan was revamped in June 2011, updated again in March and September 2012 and again in January 2016. This version was updated in April 2017.
EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION
Notification to the YSU community about an Immediate Threat
YSU will immediately notify the campus community upon confirmation of a significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees occurring on the campus. Examples of significant emergencies or dangerous situations are: active shooter, fire, outbreak of a serious illness, approaching extreme weather condition (i.e. tornado), earthquake, gas leak, terrorist incident, armed intruder, bomb threat, civil unrest or rioting, explosion, nearby chemical or hazardous waste spill.
In the event of a potential emergency or dangerous situation that poses an immediate threat to the health or safety of some or all members of the YSU community, YSUPD and/or the Office of Marketing and Communications will immediately notify the campus community of the situation. YSUPD and/or M&C will, without delay and taking into account the safety of the community, determine the content of the notification and initiate the notification system, unless issuing a notification will, in the judgment of the first responders (including, but not limited to YSUPD, Youngstown Police Department, Youngstown Fire and Emergency Medical Services), compromise the efforts to assist a victim or to contain, respond to, or otherwise mitigate the emergency.
YSUPD and/or M&C will use some or all of the systems described below to communicate the threat to the YSU community or to the appropriate segment of the community, if the threat is limited to a particular building or segment of the population. The entire campus community will be notified when there is at least the potential that a very large segment of the community will be affected by a situation, or when a situation threatens the operation of the campus as a whole. The situation will be continually assessed to determine if additional segments of the campus should be notified.
Some or all of the following notification methods will be used:
Members of the larger community outside campus will receive information about a campus emergency via many of the same methods listed above. In addition, the University will disseminate information via local news media (TV, radio and newspaper).
Those responsible for carrying out the actions above include:
TIMELY WARNINGS
Issuing Timely Warnings YSU will issue a Timely Warning to the campus community in the event of crimes (i.e. murder and non-negligent manslaughter, negligent manslaughter, sex offenses, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson) and other situations that, in the judgment of the Chief of the YSU Police Department (YSUPD) or his/her designee, constitutes a serious or continuing threat to students or employees. In determining if a Timely Warning should be issued, the Police Chief will consider the nature of the crime, the continuing danger to the campus community, and the possible risk of compromising law enforcement efforts.
Timely Warnings will be distributed by one or all of the following methods:
The Timely warnings will provide the following information if possible:
Timely Warnings will be issued for circumstances that occur on campus, on public property within or immediately adjacent to the campus, and in or on non-campus buildings or property that YSU owns or controls.
Anyone with information warranting a Timely Warning should report the circumstances to the YSUPD at 330-941-3527.
Best Practices for YSU Social Media
If you are aware of an emergency situation on campus, contact the YSU Police first (330-941-3527), and then the Marketing and Communications office (330-941- 3519).
Do not post about the situation on social media until official messaging is released from the university.
During an emergency situation on campus, official posts regarding the crisis will come from three accounts:
If you control an official social media page of the university, look for these posts and update your own page(s) by directing your followers to any of these three accounts. Do not try to craft your own message or retype the message on your own.
In addition, during an emergency on campus, be sure to:
Contact: Ron Cole, public information officer, 330-941-3285, racole01@ysu.edu.
Portal