Columbus, GA
– Faculty and students in CSU’s Communication and Theatre departments are
coming together on the next three Saturdays in September to produce a training
video for the Muscogee County School District which can then be shared with
other school districts in Georgia and in neighboring states. The video covers
faculty and student response in the event an active shooter attack.
Spearheading the project production
are Roger Hart, Dr. Danna Gibson, and Dr. Chris McCollough in the Department of
Communication. Hart currently directs the department’s Non-Profit and Civic
Engagement (NPACE) Center, Gibson is the chair of the Department of
Communication, McCollough is an Assistant Professor who specializes in crisis
communication and public relations. Students from the Department of
Communication will be tasked with filming and editing of the project through
October.
Assisting the Communication
Department is Dr. Steven Graver and students from CSU’s Theatre Department.
They will be providing make-up and wardrobe assistance for those acting in the
video. Providing on-camera talent will be students and faculty from each of the
high schools in Muscogee County, as well as additional CSU students and
faculty. Theatre teachers from each of the high schools are consulting in
script development and direction of actors on-site.
The video project is the culmination
of a 7 month long Risk Management Assessment involving school district and
public safety personnel that prompted the Muscogee County School District to enhance
their crisis response in the event of an Active Shooter incident in a school
setting. The goal is achieving student, faculty, and staff safety by enhancing
classroom and school security measures throughout the life of the crisis.
