-- Perspectives --
Tradition and trauma: reflections on the Texas A&M tragedy

Current faculty and staff members are invited to contribute their essays to Perspectives. In choosing from submissions, the editorial staff will be guided by the campus community's need to be informed about matters related to university governance and institutional improvement. Because of limited space, submissions should not exceed 725 words. Each contribution will appear under a byline.

Across the nation academe was stunned last fall when twelve young people lost their lives while constructing a bonfire of logs on the Texas A&M University campus in College Station, Texas. The question of why this tragic event occurred may be answered in the next few months by an investigative commission appointed to that task. In the larger sense, the tragedy has caused many university administrators to reflect on how such activities are managed on their campuses.

Here at Fresno State we have a system for reviewing all campus events for safety; however, no amount of pre-planning can guarantee 100 percent that an activity is safe. It is the university's intent to provide a complete higher education experience that includes academic, extracurricular and social activities while properly managing the risks associated with these activities.

When planning for an event on campus, here are a few things to remember:

• Start planning well enough in advance so you don't have to rush through anything. Allow some contingency time to compensate for things going wrong.
• Be sure all the proper clearances and permissions from campus authorities are in place before starting to advertise the event.
• Always plan for more people than you think will attend. It will be an easy time if you have more facilities and staff than you need; it will be a nightmare if you don't.
• Work within your budget. Don't cut corners by compromising safety. If you can't safely do what you originally planned because of budget constraints, EHS suggests modifying the scope of the event so the available funds are sufficient to do the job properly.
• Students, no matter how old, should not be allowed to work independently without university supervision unless the assigned tasks are so benign that no reasonable person would expect an accident or injury to result from working on those tasks.
• Power machinery must never be operated by untrained persons. When power machinery is involved, students should not work without supervision.
• The consumption of alcohol is never appropriate when setting up for events or cleaning up in the aftermath. If alcohol is to be served at the event, either University Food Service must provide it and serve it or an Alcoholic Beverage Permit must be obtained from the Office of Environmental Health and Safety (EHS). Food Service is the only entity allowed to sell alcohol on campus.
• If food will be served at your event, proper food handling procedures must be followed. Except for special circumstances, mostly involving recognized student organizations, Food Service is the only entity allowed to sell food on campus.
• If an outside group will be coming onto campus to participate in or support your event, be sure that the proper certificates of insurance are filed with EHS at least a week prior to the event.

Those planning events should call the Police Department (ext. 8-2132) first to get the process started, since that department has knowledge of who is responsible for each university space. Another good contact is the Scheduling Office (ext. 8-2491). If you have questions regarding special event planning, required clearances/permissions, insurance requirements, or if you would like to get a safety review of planned activities, please call the EHS office (ext. 8-7422). EHS is dedicated to facilitating your event by providing consultation and support services while at the same time protecting your participants and the university from accidents and other unfortunate circumstances.