Campus officials work to communicate about safety on campus

By Alayna Simons

Editor-in-Chief

When her roommate came home from work talking about how a body was found near campus according to a local news article, Eliana Peña, a junior, waited to hear what Trevecca would say about it.

“It makes me really concerned that this type of incident can arise so close to Trevecca being that it is portrayed as a safe campus,” said Peña. “People need to be aware of what places are not safe to go to that are close to campus.”

Because of this incident happening, she and her roommate still don’t drive down the road where it had taken place, she said. 

A couple incidents around campus in the last year have made the local news with Trevecca being reported by news outlets as the location.  And while no students, faculty or staff were involved in those incidents, Trevecca officials say they have a plan and a system in place for communicating any safety information that students need.

On Aug. 26 of this year, news articles were published by News Channel 5 and WSMV, about a body found near Trevecca campus, but there were no alerts or clarifications sent out by Trevecca security or marketing, causing confusion amongst students about safety.

“I know Trevecca really cares about the safety of its students and situations like this can cause panic and distress but not mentioning it at all is also very serious,” said Peña. 

President Dan Boone said in that particular incident he worked with campus security and with Metro Police to determine whether or not our campus was under any threat.

“It was very clear from Greg Dawson, Chief (James Hambrick), and working with Metro Police that we were under no threat,” said Boone.

According to Mollie Yoder, associate vice president of marketing and communication, communication to the students about safety and surroundings is a collaborative effort and situations are always handled on a case-by-case basis.

“Whenever there is a safety concern or even a potential safety concern, I’m working in collaboration with Chief Hambrick, with Greg Dawson and with our administration to make those key decisions,” said Yoder. “The priority is always given to keeping the students or the population that may be at risk informed, and so that’s going to be our first and foremost priority.”

Once officials determined there was no threat to campus, the administrative team decided against communication to the community to avoid any more anxiety that was not necessary, said Boone.

“An informed community is a safe community, but at the same time, I don’t put out things that’s going to create a panic, where there’s no need for a panic,” said James Hambrick, chief security officer.

Trevecca is a unique community with the housing for non-students available on campus, said Boone. 

“I think we are people who we have every right and responsibility to be as safe as we possibly can and at the same time to be as compassionate as God has called us to be,” said Boone. “Christ never called us to find the safest bubble that we could live in. He called us to go into the world and be light in the middle of that world. I think where we are gives us that opportunity.”

The Trevecca Towers, apartments located on campus, used to be housing for the elderly and has now been opened to those who are in need of low-income housing.

According to a News Channel 5 article published in February 2023, “Trevecca Towers offers units to those 62 and older or on disability and help those who were previously living unhoused.”

“They (the Towers residents) want where they live to be somewhere that they feel really good about,” said Boone. “So we are working with the leadership of the Towers to try to help bring them up to that as much as we can.”

Campus security is working diligently with the new management at the Towers to increase security in their buildings.

“Upon the hill, as we call it, it’s a safe place. I thank God that it is even though we have other parts of the campus such as the rehab center and the Towers that are not actually a part of the university, but that we share a community space,” said Hambrick.

To increase the reliability and responsiveness of communication, a group on campus called the Emergency Operations Committee works to inform the community.

“[EOC] is a whole range of departments across campus that work collaboratively to determine everything from logistics, to communication, to liaising with other outside entities,” said Yoder. “We run regular training sessions with that group so that we maintain a level of vigilance and a preparedness around addressing any potential threat or emergency campus.”

Along with the EOC, Yoder said the campus has benefited from Hambrick joining the team.

“He brings decades of experience in handling a whole host of situations. He also has deep community ties with Metro, PD, with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and law enforcement entities across the state,” said Yoder. “He’s been a fantastic partner to have at the table.”

Yoder encourages every student and their family members to sign up for the RAVE, the service provider for Trevecca’s emergency alert system, to stay informed during any safety concerns or updates.

Hambrick said the best way to ensure safety on campus is to report anything that feels unsafe.

“We want to be visible, to be approachable, and be professional,” said Hambrick. “If you see something, say something.”

Call campus security at (615) 642-3523.

Scan the QR code to sign up for the RAVE alerts: