Summer 2002

Fires, Earthquakes and Storms!...Oh My! 
by Leahjo Tietz
WorkSafe Institute of Washington

 Our 40^th Year….The year that an earthquake shook campus buildings to the ground and a cargo jet crashed into the parking lot !  Thankfully, these events only happened during emergency response training exercises for the Highline Community College Incident Command Team.

Throughout our 40-year history, HCC has had to respond to real emergencies, such as fire, earthquakes, severe winds and heavy snows.  The conditions have temporarily closed campus, caused damage and stranded students.  To better prepare and respond to such emergencies,  HCC developed an Emergency Management Plan and initiated emergency training activities. 

A vital part of emergency response is defining who is in charge during an emergency and identifying the roles and responsibilities of an “Incident Command Team.”  The Incident Command Team consists of HCC administrators and staff with key responsibilities to manage and respond to campus emergencies.   These responsibilities and roles are defined in the campus Emergency Management Plan.  

To prepare for these roles, and to identify resources and vulnerabilities, the Incident Command Team met in February to respond to a simulated earthquake emergency that toppled buildings, injured people, stranded the campus population and left the campus without outside assistance, such as fireman, ambulance, or police, for more than 24 hours.  In June, the Incident Command Team experienced a simulated cargo jet crash that brought over 300 fire and police responders in addition to 50 investigators from federal agencies such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and 250 National Guard soldiers rushing to campus.

By responding to these types of highly unlikely disaster scenarios, the Highline Community College Incident Command Team enhances their ability to recognize the resources and capabilities of the campus and respond well to any emergency situation.

While the Incident Command Team, and other Highline Community College employees have defined roles and responsibilities outlined in the Emergency Management Plan, it is the responsibility of everyone at HCC to familiarize themselves with the Plan so that they will know what to do in the event of a campus emergency.  The Plan is posted on the Highline Community College intranet at Emergency Management Plan. Additional training activities are scheduled throughout the summer and fall and will involve increasingly more members of the campus community.

  Moments to Remember from HCC’s 40^th Year

	The first campus wide Professional Development day took place.
	Homecoming was reinstated.
	Highline’s new soccer field, The Pitch at McConnaughey Field, was dedicated.
	The Highline Community Conservatory of Music was established.
	The Estonia grand piano was dedicated with a concert performed by internationally renowned Northwest artist and professor Dr. Tanya Stambuk.
	Highline Community College received the 2001 Outstanding Business Award 'Diversity Award of the Year' from the Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce.
	The Highline Community College Surface Water Control Park received a Merit Award in design from the Washington Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects.
	The Drama Department presented a musical for their Winter Gala, “The Me Nobody Knows.”
	The HCC Foundation held its annual Spring Gala at Emerald Downs.  The event raised a net profit between $48,000-$50,000.  The 32-minute live auction raised $32,750.  The Foundation is designating these funds towards establishing the New Century Scholarship Endowment.
	First Thursday/Arts Night enjoyed a long run. The evenings included art exhibits such as paintings, pottery, woodturnings, and the Northwest Breast Cancer Survivor Art Exhibit. The theater performances included plays by Breeders Theater, a performance by HCC’s Drama Department, vocal and instrumental music performed by Highline students and staff, and HCC’s authors reading from their own works.  And Nancy Warren is glad it’s over.
	The 2001-2002 Women's Fastpitch Team won the Northwest Division Championship with a 28-4 record. This was only the 2nd time in the 18-year history of the softball program at HCC to win the Division.
	The new addition to the Instructional Computing Center (Building 30) was dedicated with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
	Throughout this year approximately 12 staff and/or faculty members integrated projects with their classes that required the students to do research on some part of the history of Highline...past and present.  These completed projects have been stored on a "working website" (http://flightline.highline.edu/anniversary) and this summer several students are working together to "redo" this website so that it will truly be student created, edited, and filled with student work.  This should be completed by mid-August.

Did You Know? 

...Our chapter of PTK was awarded a five star rating this month at the Greater Northwest Region Business Meeting. Five star is the highest award a chapter can earn. 

...Dr. Shirley Gordon, president of Highline from 1976 to 1990, has the distinction of having the longest association with Highline of any employee in the college’s history. She was instrumental in the Highline School District’s creation of an extended secondary program in 1959 and was one of three instructors in the program. The program offered post-high school classes, the first step toward establishing Highline as a two-year college. She became one of the college’s first employees when it was established in 1961, serving as the Director of Curriculum. Dr. Gordon also served as Highline’s Dean of Instruction and Vice President before her selection as President. Dr. Gordon was an honored guest at this year’s commencement ceremony, marking Highline’s 40th anniversary.

...Carol Helgerson, Student Program's Director Conference Services, has recenlty been named as a member of the Auburn School District Board.