EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLAN AND GROUP
The Catawba College Emergency Response Group Plan formally establishes and documents a coordinated plan for responding to crises, whether large or small, which may arise in spite of all mitigation efforts. The aim for this plan is to provide a flexible framework of procedures, which will be periodically reviewed and regularly exercised so that when crises occur, the College’s response will be effective and efficient in protecting human life and health and in preserving College property and resources. The protection of human life and health is of the utmost importance and shall take precedence throughout this combined effort. The Emergency Response Group (ERG) is a group of employees from across various areas of campus who meet regularly to keep the emergency response plan up to date, who work with local emergency response groups, and who undergo training for all types of campus emergencies. You can contact this group through the Dean of Students.
CONTINUITY OF OPERATIONS PLAN
Ensuring that the College, individual departments, and units are prepared to respond to various types of operational disruptions is imperative. Continuity planning will help ensure we have a strategy not only for major disasters, but also lesser disruptions to service, including utility outages, inclement weather, fires, and the like.
Continuity of Instruction
A continuity plan may require creativity, alternative expectations, and flexibility in course delivery.
Primary Activities to Continue
There are four primary activities to continue:
- Communication
- Delivering course content
- Participation and interaction
- Assessment
Class Disruptions from Emergencies/Catastrophes
Announcement of Disruptions
The institution communicates with and keeps students, faculty, and staff informed through Catawba Alerts, Catawba’s official website catawba.edu, and Catawba’s primary social media accounts. Announcements will be posted on the website, social media, local radio, and television stations if it is necessary to cancel courses or temporarily close the college campus.
Continuity of Services
Should Catawba College need to pivot to online instruction, the institution would consider pro-rated compensation, based on the student’s out of pocket contributions to the college, including student participation in the Federal Direct Student Loan Program.
As all Catawba College faculty are required to use the Learning Management System for attendance and grades, all courses, regardless of modality, already have online course shells available. In the case of an emergency pivot, faculty may utilize these course shells for continuity of instruction. Faculty also are encouraged to leverage existing campus technologies, such as those listed in the chart below. Essential student support services offered by Catawba College, including IT, the Office of Student Affairs (including Mental Health Counseling) and the Office of Student Success, will utilize these same tools in providing continued assistance to students.
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Communicating with Students
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Synchronous
- Blackboard Collaborate
- Microsoft Teams
- Zoom
Asynchronous
- Email
- Blackboard Learning Management System: Messaging & Discussions Tools
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Sharing Course Content
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- Blackboard Learning Management System
- Microsoft OneDrive
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Providing Supplemental Instruction (Writing Center, SMART Center, etc.)
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Synchronous
- Blackboard Collaborate
- Microsoft Teams
- Zoom
Asynchronous
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Evaluating Students
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- Blackboard Learning Management System (Discussions, Assignments, Tests, & Journal tools)
- Microsoft OneDrive
- Email
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Sharing Grades
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- Blackboard Learning Management System Gradebook
- Email
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Regulations for FERPA and HIPAA, accessibility, fair use and copyright, etc. will continue to be followed during such a pivot to online instruction. To maintain student privacy and safety, social networking sites should not be used as a replacement for the Learning Management System.
For courses requiring in-person experiences, such as labs, field work, or clinical placements, faculty will work with their department chair and dean to determine the best course of action for students including, but not limited to virtual/simulated experiences, postponing in-person requirements to a future semester, waiving requirements.
If Catawba College is unable to provide continuity of instruction under the emergency circumstances, advisors and program directors will assist students in determining other options. Catawba College may provide course completion options via our course sharing platform consortia relationship with Acadeum. Emergency situations resulting in institution or program closures will require additional teach-out plans. In these situations, refunds for tuition will be determined on individual, case-by-case basis. Teach-out plans and/or transfer agreements will be submitted to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges for approval, following the federal guidelines outlined in 602.24.
ONLINE WEB PAGES
Students are reminded that online webpages, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. are
unregulated areas available to any online user. We encourage students to take special precautions to limit online personal information, as this type of content is available to the general public including other students, College Officials and future employers.
Student Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS)
SEVIS is an online tracking system for International Students in F-1, J-1 and M-1 (and their dependents) Visa status. Through SEVIS, colleges enter and update various data regarding the International Students who have been issued Form I-20 by their institution. Federal law requires that Catawba regularly update vital information about the statutes of our International Students. This information includes, but is not limited to: change of address, change of name, change of major, dropping below full-time enrollment, practical training, illegal employment and non-enrollment. These and other occurrences are considered reportable events and Catawba College is mandated to report it.
Student Identification Cards
You are required to have a valid Catawba College student identification card during your time of enrollment. Cards are provided during registration through the Office of Student Affairs. When asked by any authorized College official, you are required to present your student ID card. Failure to do so will jeopardize your privilege of remaining on campus since we must have a method of determining our students from non-students. Students who fail to properly identify themselves upon request by a College official will be subject to referral to the Student Conduct Administrator. Student ID cards are necessary for admission to the residence halls (if you are a resident student), dining hall, athletic events, gym facilities and for borrowing library materials. Cards are also necessary for purchase of books from the Catawba College Bookstore. Cards are not transferable to other persons, and it is a violation of College policy to be in possession of another student’s ID card for any reason, at any time, under any circumstance, except for the purpose of obtaining a “sick tray” from the dining hall on behalf of a student who is ill. A $50 fee for a replacement card will be charged for all lost, stolen or damaged cards.
THREAT ASSESSMENT TEAM (TAT)
The purpose of Catawba College’s Threat Assessment Team (TAT) is to promote (1) the health and safety of the campus community, and (2) community members’ health, well-being and successful experiences by coordinating information and developing support plans for people of concern. The TAT serves both students and employees and is charged with the task of determining if an individual pose, or may pose, a threat of violence to self, others or to the Catawba College community and to intervene to avert the threat and maintain the safety of the situation. The TAT responds to behaviors exhibited by students, employees, visitors and non-affiliated persons prior to a critical incident in an attempt to prevent violence so that the Catawba College campus remains a safe and secure learning and working environment.
In addition, the TAT assesses and coordinates the response to bias-related campus incidents. The Threat Assessment Team will investigate reported bias-related incidents to determine whether an incident is bias-related, and to recommend appropriate outcomes for the incident, including the necessity of involvement from law enforcement or other outside agencies.
Threat Assessment Team Members
- Dean of Students
- Director of Conduct
- Director of Housing and Residence Life
- Director of Public Safety
- Director of Counseling Services
- College Counselor
- Director of Health Services
- Student Affairs Administrative Assistant
Reporting a Bias Incident
Any member of the Catawba Community may report an incident through the Catawba Connect App.
CATAWBA CONNECT / SAFEZONE APP
Our safety at Catawba College will only be as effective as its reporting mechanisms for people and situations of concern. This is a free app designed to help keep you and those around you safe! Using the SafeZone platform, this app allows you to raise Duress, First Aid and Help alerts for you and your community. Students, faculty and staff are highly encouraged to sign up.
Remember:
- If there is an emergency in progress, call Public Safety at 704-637-4000 or dial 911.
- To report an incident or a concern online through CatWatch, visit catawba.edu/catwatch.
- To report an incident or a concern by telephone, call 704-637-4000 Public Safety or 704-637-4410 Student Affairs.
- To make a report in person, contact any administrative office on campus for assistance.
VISITORS
Off-campus persons who visit resident students are expected to remain in the company of the person/s being visited. Students will be held responsible for the behavior of their guests as if that behavior were their own. For security reasons, the College does not permit the presence of visitors who have no stated reason for being on campus. The College reserves the right to have these persons escorted from campus.
