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"What’s in Your Wallet?" Preparing
for & Managing Crisis
By Gary Bice,
Jr., Director of Residence Life
Mount Saint Mary College
A current
ad campaign shows partnered couples in which one panicked partner is lamenting
large new purchases on what is assumed to be a high interest credit card.
The other partner is very calm while some historically really bad people
are hot on their heels ready to destroy them. After some tense mood music
and dramatic cutaways, (Dawson Leery would be so proud) all is saved when
the calm partner mentions that the purchases were made on a certain card
that won’t devour them with high interest payments. Crisis solved!
Once again
television shows us how we can resolve conflict, or manage a crisis, within
the time frame of one hour; or in this case, one minute. Of course this
is how it happens in residence life right? That flood on the second floor
during midterms that keeps everyone outside for three hours during the
storm of the century. The roommates who have met with every possible mediator
on campus but still can’t get along, and of course they both refuse
to move out. Standing at the end of a hallway with a group of less than
sober students blocking your way to the nearest exit. The depressed student
who always seems to be putting themselves in at risk situations. Or, in
light of recent events, a student brandishing a weapon creating a sense
of panic. These are all no brainers, ready to be solved in 60 seconds
or less right?
Of course
not. But, as student affairs professionals and more specifically, residence
life
professionals, we are often the first responders. You have that masters
degree, or are working on it, and are expected to be the voice of reason
and the calming influence no matter the situation. It doesn’t matter
that you have never been in that situation before. The essence of crisis
management is the "judicious use of means to accomplish an end to
a decisive or critical moment". (The Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
Unfortunately
there is no fool proof or step-by-step method for crisis management that
works for every situation. Most of the time you fly by the seat of your
pants and trust that you are making the right decisions or saying the
right things. While that is the case, it is possible to prepare yourself
so the seat of your pants is at least padded a little bit.
Preparation
for Crisis
Most institutions
have an Emergency Response Plan. Get a copy of it so you can at a minimum
get a sense of what the chain of command is. You must stay within your
job description and boundaries and stay within the chain of communication.
It is highly unlikely that an RD would be the person to talk to the President
or the press, so you have to understand your role.
Know the
student handbook and be knowledgeable of due process procedures, judicial
processes, hearing board procedures, appeal processes, etc. This comes
in handy when you are dealing with an assault victim. You need to know
all the avenues available to get them the assistance they need both on
the campus judicial level as well as on a physical health level.
Determine
where your personal boundaries are. Much like we’re taught to imagine
ourselves in situations and how we would get ourselves out of them, take
some time to think about situations you might find yourself in. This is
especially important for counseling type crises. Some issues might hit
a little too close to home and cause us to lose our objectivity or bring
up painful personal memories. Just as we tell our undergraduate staff
that it is okay to ask for help or to refer the student to someone else,
you have that same option. We may be the person "in charge",
but that doesn’t mean we are able to deal with every possible issue.
Keep a list
of contact people and phone numbers (office and home if possible) near
your phone. It would also be beneficial to keep a "cheat sheet"
of sorts in your wallet or whatever else you take with you every time
you leave your apartment or office. If you have a procedures manual, then
keep that somewhere easily accessible. Often times we forget in the heat
of the moment some of the most basic information, so taking these steps
in advance will give you one less thing to root around for.
During
the Crisis
First and
foremost, remain calm. Take a few seconds after the phone call, or on
the way to the scene, to breathe, think, act and assess. You need to deal
with the immediacy of the situation while at the same time determining
the basic facts (who, what, when, where).
In almost
every circumstance, a crowd either gathers or is part of the problem.
Remember that you are just one person. Even if you have to fake it, remain
confident. Survey the scene and find the one or two people who appear
to be the calmest who can become your allies and assist you and your staff.
Often it will be a moment when you lock eyes with someone that you will
sense that.
You need
to trust your common sense. Your gut will help you find that ally above.
Take advantage of the adrenaline flowing through your body. It protects
you from the fear and indecision and helps you to just react.
Believe
it or not, keep your sense of humor. There will be nothing funny about
the crisis you are dealing with, but absurd things may happen. Along those
lines, we’ve all had situations where students pulled a prank (ex:
someone is seen on a roof; someone has locked themself in a bathroom crying,
etc.). It throws you into react mode, but something doesn’t feel
right. It is better to err on the side of caution in those situations.
Better to react and end up looking silly than to not react and have it
turn out to be serious. You may be really pissed and choose to utilize
it as a teachable moment for the pranksters, but you need to be able to
swallow your pride a bit and laugh about it.
Protect
yourself. Don’t ever put yourself into a situation where your personal
safety is at risk. If you get backed into a corner, or the tenor of the
crisis changes on you, do what you can to get out. Even if you have to
back off your initial statements or appear to let the student "win",
that is fine. Just like we tell our RA’s, you can always go back
with security/campus police/administrator to resolve the crisis.
Post
Crisis
Make time
to unwind, destress, process. We always look out for those we supervise
but often forget about ourselves. Find someone you trust that you can
open up to and confide in. You will have a multitude of emotions to wade
through. Feeling them and letting them out is the most important thing
for your own mental and physical health.
Regardless
of whether there is a campus wide review of the incident, you need to
review what happened with the staff and students who assisted you. The
debriefing allows you to thank people for their help, allows you to review
the procedures you used and how they might be improved if necessary and
helps the transition to getting life back to normal.
In the end,
it is your preparation that allows you to get through crises as smoothly
as possible. You need to talk with your supervisor and your staff as much
as you can so you function like a well oiled machine. Working through
a crisis has tremendous power in effecting one’s confidence level,
but only to the extent that you have prepared. I recommend Chapter 24
- Dealing with Campus Crisis, in The Handbook of Student Affairs Administration,
2nd Ed., by Margaret J. Barr, Mary K. Desler, and Associates (2000), for
a more thorough discussion on this topic.
Crisis management
is an area that no one ever gets comfortable with regardless of their
position. Experience goes a long way to helping pad the seat of your pants,
but I will make you this promise. As soon as you think you’ve heard
it all or feel that you will never have a more bizarre incident, talk
to a colleague and you will find something that tops it. Of course, you
could always just answer the phone that’s ringing....
About the Author
Gary Bice, Jr. is the Director of Residence Life at Mount Saint Mary College, Newburgh, NY. He is currently the Eastern NY District Coordinator for NEACUHO. In June 2001 Gary will assume the role of President-Elect for NEACUHO. Email: bice@msmc.edu