Jackon Mote is a junior French major
from Indianapolis.
With the news of Hogate containing mold and the mysterious disappearance/recovery of several dormitory signs, I’ve heard many people question the effectiveness of Facilities Management and Public Safety, in each matter respectively. But I feel as if we should focus on the positive aspects of both of these branches of DePauw University.
On Wedneday, Dick Vance, Associate Vice President for Facilities and Doug Reddington, Campus Project Manager emailed faculty, staff and students about the upcoming mass excavation of the Hoover Hall site. In this email, they described 4 main points about the latest phase of construction and how it would affect our daily lives’ on campus.
Early yesterday morning, I could already hear the hum of construction equipment as I made my way across Bowman Park to a men’s lacrosse team lifting session in Welch Fitness Center. While I was walking, I contemplated how thoughtful it was of these gentlemen, as well as all of Facilities Management, to keep us updated on something that could affect the way we experience and navigate the campus.
It is the little things like this, that make DePauw University have an exceptional campus.
On September 22nd, at 1:30pm, Public Safety conducted a test of DePauw Emergency Notification System in conjuction with Putnam County 911 Center.
Although the commencement of the test may have been a little off schedule, the Emergency Notification System worked. Knowing that we can be quickly notified of an active situation that may affect our safety on campus is an invaluable tool to have in today’s technologically advanced world. Even after the test of the system was over, Public Safety acknowledged that a few students did not receive test warnings and even followed up with the students to receive their correct contact information for the future.
Actions such as these, by important parts of the operaton of the university, should not go unnoticed. Regardless, of how mundane a construction update might seem or a test notification to your communication methods might annoy you, they are important.
By keeping us updated and knowing about the events that are occuring around us, these operational entities create a systemic level of communication that contributes to the overall safety and community of our campus.
The next time that you see a construction worker, a member of Facilities Management or a member of Public Safety, consider saying hello and wishing them a good day.
Remember that they work year round, so that past, present, future members and guests of this community enjoy its campus.
Even if some of us might not get to experience Hoover Hall as undergraduates, we can all have some faith that Facilities Management will always keep the building in shape and that Public Safety will keep it and us safe.