“Your tool for getting a message across to an audience is body language,” began professor Waddell’s lecture on group facilitation. “Eye contact is the most important, followed by vocal quality, hip and feet movement, and arm movement…” and then it all faded to black.
It’s hard to reach an audience using those tools if there is no light.
That lecture message was lost on Tuesday, Jan. 27 as most classrooms on campus lost power. In the Science Building, there was a sputter of lights for a brief moment as the backup generator tried to kick in. Then, there was no light at all. As students whipped out their omnipresent cell phones, the volume in the room began to escalate. The noise wasn’t great because people were on their cell phones, but because none of the students or the professor had an inkling of what was happening or what to do in the situation.
This concerned more than yours truly, as numerous students were facing the choice between cold and dark without answers or practice. One student expressed her fears as she sat in the dark: What if this is a setup for someone who is going to commit mass murder? That could be a real concern, given the rise in school and workplace violence. Who remembers countless fire drills in primary and secondary school? The majority of readers will probably nod their heads in memory of those. How about at Northeastern Illinois University? Many readers will probably pause and then realize there are not safety drills here.
We do, however, have an abundance of small information packets that tell those present at NEIU what to do in case of an emergency. They are supposed to be posted in each classroom, although some of them have been taken or are not clearly visible. This problem was only exacerbated by the lack of power on Tuesday. Students were left to phone friends or professors on other parts of campus so they could determine their next step.
In this small handbook for emergencies, it states that students should proceed to areas with emergency lighting or exit the building carefully if they are able. Ironically, there were no safety lights available in the southeast wing of the Science Building, not even in the stairwells! If it had been necessary to exit the building quickly and safely, students in this area would have been thrust in a very unsafe situation.
Perhaps in addition to all of the other information given to students on the first day of classes, there should be emergency information. Each professor should devote 10 minutes to explaining emergency procedures and protocol. More importantly, each student should familiarize themselves with the emergency handbook and have emergency numbers for the school programmed into their cell phones. Then the next time a lecture fades to black, the message won’t be lost.