ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines essential planning details, and explains the role of student affairs during campus crisis response. It provides particulars related to university-wide emergency plans, the related crisis response teams led by student affairs, and victim liaison programs. The chapter explores key aspects of communication during a crisis, where recommendations are made regarding the management of information while responding to a crisis. Violent acts in the academy, particularly where the act seems random and involves multiple casualties, can best be characterized by the term crisis. Response to such events requires not only advance planning and training but immediate action to halt or mitigate loss; furthermore, it has the potential for long-term effects on the campus community. The emergency operations plan is an essential institutional planning and management document that should be available to all executive-level administrators and other relevant personnel. Providing victim liaisons can be an effective crisis response tactic.
