Q&A Q&A WITH
LARRY NORTHCUTT
A discussion of how ETBU Campus Security embraces new challenges in the world of COVID-19
No one would have been able to predict that the ETBU Family would not be able to return to campus the week following Spring Break 2020. But as the novel coronavirus swept the nation, it quickly became apparent that it was no longer safe to allow faculty, staff, and students to congregate on campus. However, not all University personnel left campus to hunker down safely in their homes—there were those few who remained behind the scenes and gates, endeavoring to keep our campus as safe and healthy as possible. ETBU Director of Security, Compliance, and Accountability Larry Northcutt was responsible for planning and implementing a strategic course of action for ETBU Security amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Here, Larry speaks about the challenges that have presented themselves as well as the successes new safety protocols have brought forth for the University community. Can you describe some of the new security protocols that were put into effect because of COVID-19? When did these changes take place? When COVID-19 started to catch steam around Spring Break, we had to make some tough decisions among our administration to ensure our campus community was as safe as it could be. Our goal was to assure the ETBU Family that we had their best interest and health in mind during every decision we made to protect them from COVID-19. One of the first things we decided to change was how people were able to access campus. If you have been around ETBU, you know that there are a myriad entrance points into our campus. It was our goal to control access for health screening, so we formulated a plan to block all points of access except for the entrance off of East Avenue. Once we established this plan, we then set up a main checkpoint, where our University Security Officers, who have been on the grounds since Spring Break, started checking people in on March 16. We worked closely with our administration and health care experts to create an approved list of those who were screened by the Health and Safety Task Force and cleared to enter. This gave us a measure of control so that only people who had been reviewed by our health care experts were granted access to enter campus. Additionally, all buildings were secured with only a select few doors being accessible. Our officers have worn masks and safety glasses throughout the process to be a model for safety awareness and health promotion. We also staffed additional officers on duty 24/7 to help with patrol and anything that our campus community needed during the initial months of the health crisis.
24
Hilltop
Summer 2020
