The School intends to respond to any emergency situation in a safe, effective, and timely manner. Our mission and priorities in the event of an emergency are, in this order, to:
- protect human life;
- preserve health, safety, and basic care of human lives;
- protect School assets;
- maintain School services;
- assess damages; and
- restore general campus operations
When the School receives a report of an incident, the Emergency Management Team will analyze the report or hazard, determine whether it appears to trigger any of the above threat levels, and proceed accordingly. The formal Emergency Response Plan will work in tandem with the School’s internal Continuity of Operations Plan and its separate building emergency plans to achieve the priorities and respond to the threat levels above. And, as noted, we will always cooperate fully with federal, state, and local authorities and public health officials in any matter potentially implicating those interests or whenever cooperation with authorities will help protect the safety of our campus community.
Authorization and Emergency Management Team
This Program is promulgated under the authority of the President and Board of Trustees of Manhattan School of Music. All decisions concerning the declaration of an emergency situation, the discontinuation of School operations or public performances, or the cancellation of classes will rest with the President or his designated representative.
The School has appointed an Emergency Management Team (EMT) to plan and execute emergency preparedness, response, and recovery functions. The EMT also oversees review and updating of this Plan and coordination of plans and operations with local and federal emergency management authorities.
The members of the Emergency Management Team include these personnel or designates:
EMT’s Core Leadership
- President
- Executive Vice President and Provost
- Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
- Vice President of Facilities and Campus Safety
Other Members of EMT
- Vice President for Marketing, Communications, and Alumni Affairs
- Dean of Students
- Vice President for Administration and Human Relations
- Assistant Vice President for IT / Chief Information Officer
- Dean of Precollege
- Director of Community Partnerships and MSM Summer
- Director of Residence Life
- Production Manager
- President’s Chief of Staff
- Dean of Academic Operations
- Assistant to the Provost
- Dean of Performance and Production Operations
There is a chain of command within the EMT. The EMT’s Core Leadership is ultimately responsible for making decisions about when and how to react to a given emergency. The main point of contact for the Emergency Plan is, however, the Vice President of Facilities and Campus Safety, who is in charge of setting and administering preventative and response policies, as well as managing the MSM community in the event of an emergency. The Vice President of Facilities and Campus Safety is also in charge of placing and training Fire Wardens throughout both the Main Building and Andersen Hall, and can provide supplemental information about Fire Wardens upon request.
The other members of the EMT (i.e., those not on the Core Leadership) serve in an advisory role in crafting, reviewing, and implementing the Emergency Plan. They are also involved in key aspects of emergency response, such as the MSM Communications Strategy.
MSM Emergency Response Plan Navigation
- Overview, Priorities, and Leadership of the Plan
- Emergency Numbers & Contact Information
- A Summary of How the School Will Notify the Community About Incidents or Emergencies
- A list of the key locations on campus you’ll need to know about in the event of an emergency
- An “All Hazard Guide,” which gives you details on how to respond to different types of emergencies depending upon the kind of response needed (evacuation, shelter in place, lockdown)
- Incident-specific directions for emergencies (including fire, power outage, weather, violent threat).
- Emergency information for individuals with disabilities or those who may need extra assistance in an emergency
- Evacuation routes for each main public assembly area at MSM
- Information regarding preparedness, prevention, and recovery
- Precollege Reunification Plan
- MSM Summer Reunification Plan
- Frequently Asked Questions
