Campus Event Disruption – On-Demand Training

Explore Policy Creation, Risk Mitigation Strategies & Swift Response Protocols

The FBI recently issued a warning to expect an increase in election-related threats — and potentially violent attacks. Campus events are not immune from this warning, and many administrators are fearful of what’s to come with regards to potential disruptions at athletic events, large-scale gatherings and at speaking engagements on campus. Invited speaker disruptions by internal or external “bad actors” at events can create free speech conflicts and test your campus policies. These complications can quickly turn a peaceful event into one of chaos, confusion and potential danger. Dialog and discourse can quickly devolve into a shouting match. Combine these types of events with the impending election season, and you have a recipe for disaster. 

Our expert presenter — Dr. Grant Azdell, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, Professor of Emergency Management courses at Randolph-Macon College and National Incident Management System Certified Trainer/Consultant — addresses campus event disruption from both a policy perspective and a campus safety perspective. 

Explore policy creation and effective response protocols to prevent confusion between your students, faculty, staff and emergency response teams. Put risk mitigation strategies in place, and be prepared to de-escalate a potentially volatile situation before it gets out of hand. 

Topics Covered

Gain crucial, actionable takeaways that will help you: 

• Create clear policies surrounding campus events and the demonstration of activism, to prevent confusion among your students, faculty and staff. 
• Ensure your staff members are effectively prepared to manage and respond to interruptions and disruptions at events on campus before they occur.
• Employ campus safety and police interventions successfully to swiftly mitigate/de-escalate bad actors. 
• Understand free speech considerations, restrictions and legal consequences so you can recognize when an action requires a response – and respond appropriately. 
• Scale and adjust your operations to meet emerging needs – give your campus community members a sense of confidence that your first priority is the safety of the individuals present and that you are prepared to handle an event disruption quickly and appropriately, should one occur. 
• Maintain a sense of peace, order and safety on your campus. 
  

Presenter

Dr. Grant L. Azdell currently serves as the Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, and is a Professor at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia.
Click here for full bio.