Margolis Healy special event presentation at 2011 NASPA Law Conference in Arlington, VA for Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education

1. Security Issues at
Student Special Events
Gary J. Margolis, Ed.D.

2. AGENDA
• Introductions
• A Conversation…
• Fights, Stabbings and Shootings
• The Research
• 5 Steps
• Recommendations

3. Tweet Tweet
@margolishealy
#NASPALaw

4. Student Special Events
• Several high profile violent incidents at
special events
• Celebratory riots at athletic events
• Disruptive attendees
• Disputes about entry @ closed events
• Fights, shootings, & stabbing during & after
events

5. Campus Violence Landscape
• High-risk drinking
• Gender/Sexual Violence
• Criminal intrusions
• Event based violence
• Rampage shooters
• Terrorist threat

6. Fights, Stabbings & Shootings
• Often associated with large student parties
– UConn Spring weekend
‣ A 20-year-old University of Connecticut student
died Saturday of head injuries from a fight outside a
restaurant during Spring Weekend
– JMU block party
‣ “Some got in fights when other partiers accidentally
bumped into them, she said. People with blood
streaming down their faces and arms rushed past
her.”

7. Fights, Stabbings & Shootings
• UConn football player killed:
– “The University of Connecticut is mourning the
loss of football player Cornerback Jasper
Howard, a starter for the Huskies, was killed
Sunday morning in a stabbing that took place on
campus (after an on-campus party).”
http://ncaafootball.fanhouse.com/2009/10/18/
connecticut-cornerback-jasper-howard-killed-in-on-
campus-stabbin/

8. Fights, Stabbings & Shootings
• Duquesne University – September 2006
– 5 students shot following an on-campus party
• Delaware State University – September 2007
– Two students shot during on campus; Shalita Middleton later died from
her injuries
• Villanova University – November 2007
– Shots fired following a dance on campus
• Florida Atlantic University – April 2008
– Shots fired at an on-campus Spring party

9. Fights, Stabbings & Shootings
• Texas Southern – July 2009
– 6 shot during on-campus event
• Langston University - August 2009
– 3 non-students shot following on-campus party
• University of Connecticut – October 2009
– Football player Jasper Howard killed following on-campus party
• Diablo Valley College – March 2010
– Shooting following a Rugby match

10. Risk at Campus Events
• Potential Lethal Mix
– Students and non-students
– Alcohol and other drugs
– Egos
– Security

11. The Research
• Time of the incidents are in the early morning
hours;
• Each has a triggering event: argument, fights,
anger, vengeance, jealousy, domestic related;
• Suspects are consistently male;
• Not clear if they all occur at non-school sponsored
events, but they all have a link to student access
to university space;
• Weapon of choice is a firearm;

12. Ensuring Incident-Free Events
1. Coordination
2. Pre-event planning
3. Event Protocols
4. Post-Event Protocols
5. After-Action Review

13. 1. COORDINATION
• Close coordination in & out
• The Inside Team
- Student Affairs, Greek Life, Student
Organization Advisors, Student Center,
Public Safety, Risk Management
• External Constituents
- Local police, public works, EMS, fire,
etc.

14. 1. COORDINATION
Policy
- Thresholds (types, size, triggers, liability)
- Venues (academic, admin, res hall, multipurpose)
- Alcohol/No-Alcohol
- Guests (private/public)
- Access
- Security (type, staffing, costs)

15. 2. PRE-EVENT PLANNING
• Conduct pre-event orientations
• Conduct pre-event review of
assignments
• Training
• Identify/mitigate hazards
• Review schedule of event activities

16. 2. PRE-EVENT PLANNING
• Review venue/event diagram
• Review event specific policies and
procedures
• Review event specific alcohol policies
and procedures
• Review specific event ticketing and
credentialing policies

17. 3. EVENT PROTOCOLS
• Adjust to crowd demographics
• Anticipate crowd activities and behavior
• Maintain the usability of means of egress
• Make guests aware of their responsibilities
• Observe crowd for potential problems

18. 3. EVENT PROTOCOLS
• Monitor flow of crowd during duration of
event
• Recognize potential crowd crush
• React/report potential crowd problems
• Identify changing crowd behavior and
demeanor

19. 4. POST-EVENT PROTOCOLS
• Danger Zone
• Ensure adequate staffing and coverage both
inside/outside the event
- Ensure crowd completely disperses and
maintain presence
- Patrol other gathering spaces on campus
- Coordinate with local police

20. 5. AFTER ACTION REVIEW
• Helpful to conduct “hot-wash” for most major
events
• Must conduct after-action review for events
where incident occurs
- Who, what, where, how, why?
- What will we do differently next time
• Use other incidents as tabletop exercises for
your planning group

21. OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS
• Event management system (software) - accessible
by all campus event planners
• Assign primary responsibility for special event risk
assessment and approval to one office or person
(e.g., public safety or risk management)
• Risk Assessment Committee (multidisciplinary) to
systematically assess risks of campus events
• Develop formal approval process and related
forms
• Training program for student security, public safety/
police, and guest services

22. OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS
• Consider using a professional crowd
management vendor
• Unified radio equipment and use of metal
detectors and wands
• Identify policies and procedures specific to
late night events (e.g., location staffing; guest
admittance, occupancy, hours, etc).
• Tailgating policy (e.g., time, location,
permission, organization)

23. Legal Duties for Special Events
While the precise contours of this duty will vary from state
to state, institutions of higher education generally have a
legal duty to:
Act reasonably to provide a campus environment that is
reasonably safe from foreseeable general criminal activity by
students, employees, or third parties

24. Widely-Adopted Practices
Event security and crime prevention-related
practices/policies can become standards of care
when widely adopted

25. Summary
• Student Special Events are Potentially Lethal
• Proper risk assessment & coordination can mitigate
potential dangers and liability

26. Ensuring Incident-Free Events
• Coordination
• Pre-event planning
• Event Protocols
• Post-Event Protocols
• After-Action Review

27. Contact Information
www.margolishealy.com