"Marge Sidebottom had no idea the e-mail she sent several weeks ago with a page-long list of “Basic Classroom Emergency Procedures” would raise the hackles that it did. But by January 30, a seemingly defensive Sidebottom spoke to UVA’s Faculty Senate to explain that list, which had drawn some pointed questions from professors.

“I’m trying to learn the academic jargon,” said Sidebottom. “It’s been a lot of years since I was sitting in a classroom, I’m sorry to say. This is certainly not a mandate. This was procedures that should be considered along with common sense. You may have taken that differently, and I probably need to go back to English class.”

Marge Sidebottom, director of emergency preparedness, sent the faculty a page worth of “Basic Classroom Emergency Procedures” that seemed to raise more questions than it answered.

The page-long list highlighted a few bullet points of what to do in an emergency, which boiled down to “communicate,” “evacuate” and “shelter in place.” Sidebottom said that originally the memo had been more than two pages but that faculty members she consulted with told her to trim it to one page. As a result, she said, instructions were too simplistic on topics such as where to shelter in case of
a tornado.

Some of the suggestions include having faculty designate a “point person and back-up” for monitoring text message alerts during class and to ensure “cell phone functionality prior to the beginning of each class.” “A simple nod to the instructor will verify,” the memo reads.

Faculty Senate Chair Ricardo Padron brought up concern he had heard from faculty who were afraid that by receiving the memo, they could face lawsuits for their actions during emergencies. Sidebottom assured him that UVA’s insurance covers “good faith” actions, and Chief Operating Officer Leonard Sandridge said that he’d get something official from University attorneys on that subject.

Part of the concern seemed to also stem from a lack of understanding of what the University has done in response to the tragedy at Virginia Tech last April. Sidebottom and Sandridge spoke to UVA’s efforts, including an office for emergency preparedness, text message alerts, locks inside classrooms, and sirens and LCD boards around campus. Sandridge also mentioned that the University might install card-swipe systems on buildings to limit public access after hours, and possibly external surveillance cameras." (Will Goldsmith, C-Ville Weekly, February 5, 2008)