The safety of our students, faculty, and staff is a top priority at Ball State University. To that end, we take emergency preparedness seriously, proactively planning for a variety of contingencies and monitoring situations that could impact student health or safety.
The crisis management team, which is made up of staff members from departments across campus, meets regularly to prepare, plan, and develop best practices for handling emergency situations on campus. The team is led by chair Alan Hargrave, associate vice president for student affairs and director of housing and residence life, who is the coordinator for on-campus audiences.
Recognizing that effective communication is vital in crisis situations, Ball State regularly tests our crisis protocols and emergency notification system. In addition, the crisis management team and university senior staff take part in training and tabletop exercises one to two times each year to test and enhance our established procedures.
The Ball State Department of Public Safety, recognized by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement (CALEA) as Indiana’s first internationally accredited campus law enforcement agency, takes part in active shooter and other specialized training annually to ensure it is prepared to respond effectively to a variety of emergency situations.
University Police works closely with appropriate local, state, and federal agencies, including the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, to remain aware of alerts and threats to the nation, region, and Muncie area. To promote campus safety, the department details Campus Crime Statistics, maintains a list of individuals who have received trespass notices, and has resources about a variety of public safety issues.