Plan: Too little, too late!

This is a response to the University administration's plan (Almanac February 18) to deal with a possible terrorist strike, near or inside of the Penn community. I, as a staff member, find this letter too little, too late. Why? It seems that the University did not want to inform us in the beginning of this on September 11, 2001 when the World Trade Center was brought down by terrorists and the continued threat to harm or kill more people by Al-Qaeda and their Cell members in this country. Yet President Judith Rodin and her administration has a plan in place to evacuate her staff if there is an attack near the Penn campus. It seems that the rest of us are on our own.

I have always thought that the faculty and the staff and even the students should be better prepared to deal with a potential attack, yet nothing was done about it. How come the administration has not conducted any type of "Training" to deal with a potential emergency? It would be a good idea, a training program is warranted. The Department of Homeland Security has informed all employers to help prepare an Emergency Plan for its employees and to inform them not only by a "Website" but to conduct seminars also. They do it for other matters, why not emergency planning?

It is always the same story, if there is a serious problem developing, it is time to rely on oneself to make the decisions and take charge, but this Emergency Plan is too little too late. It is up to us to make the best out of a situation instead of relying on those who finally "Wake-up" out of their sleep and tell us, the staff, faculty and students that Penn has an "Emergency Plan."

-- Charles F. King, Jr. Employee, Facilities Services

  Almanac, Vol. 49, No. 24, March 4, 2003