Emporia State general counsel outlines recent campus incidents and new emergency measures

Steve Lovett, Emporia State's general counsel and vice president of risk management, told the governor's committee that the university has bolstered campus safety after several isolated but serious incidents this year and through systemwide enterprise risk work.

Lovett recounted three notable events that shaped the university's response: a February high-speed vehicle that drove over a slope and struck the rec center when it was unoccupied; a May incident in which a distressed driver struck a tree that acted as a security bollard; and a July off-campus death near a tunnel adjacent to campus that prompted complex communications, counseling and forensic needs. "They went up over the top of that slope... and went right into the building below," Lovett said of the February crash, noting there were no other injuries and that insurance covered repairs.

Why it matters: Lovett said the events highlighted vulnerabilities at campus boundaries and the need to align operations, communications and training across units. To address those vulnerabilities, Emporia State has reestablished a robust Emergency Notification Team, formed an Executive Threat Assessment Team (ETAT) of roughly six executives to coordinate institutional responses, and implemented several FM Global recommendations for emergency response.

Lovett described steps taken to improve preparedness and reduce response times: expanding active-shooter response training beyond law-enforcement personnel; increasing tabletop and multiagency exercises for hazmat and violent-assailant scenarios; reassessing camera capacity and access protocols; migrating fire-system communications onto the university network with cellular backup; and adding after-hours building coverage at the Memorial Union. He said some training and operational details are sensitive and suggested the committee could consider executive session for deeper discussions.

The university also emphasized Title IX and behavioral-health work. Lovett said the campus ran three major Title IX trainings this year and held a day-long session that involved 25–30 staff who participate in formal resolution processes. He described new behavioral reporting and care-team reporting rhythms and a campus mental-health toolkit. The school launched a 24/7 TELUS Health hotline this year for anonymous or identified reports; these reports route to Lovett's office, internal audit or human resources depending on the category, he said.

Lovett encouraged committee feedback and said the campus will continue risk forums and self-study as part of its enterprise risk management framework. He also noted that certain operational and security details were best handled outside a live public forum.

The presentation concluded with committee members asking whether executive session was needed; the chair and members indicated they did not require one and the committee moved on.