North Texas Daily

The UNT Emergency Preparedness Advisory Council Committee elected a member of the Student Government Association as a student representative in October. This member is elected to represent the student voices on campus, an official said.

Deea Scully, an Emergency Administration and Planning student, was elected by the advisory council committee, which started electing student representation in March 2016.

“My role in the committee is to give student’s perspective on how things are as far as safety,” Scully said. “There definitely are concerns from students, including myself.”

Scully is the only student on the committee, and she will work with members of the school administration, as well as Scottie Selman, director of Management and Safety Services. The committee meets once a semester and comes together to discuss issues for campus safety.

Scully will work with students on campus and find out what their perspective is on safety. She feels students are more affected by safety than faculty and staff.

“The administration has a different view of things than students,” Scully said. “They’re here nine to five, compared to students who live here and are on campus most of the day.”

Emergency preparedness is one of UNT’s biggest priority, Selman said. With his team, located in the UNT Coliseum on Ave D, Selman maintains a safe environment at UNT by monitoring the entire campus and preparing for any type of emergencies.

“We emphasize to establish a mindset throughout the campus community,” Selman said. “We provide training and tools for personal preparedness.”

Selman and his team work behind the scenes to prevent any emergency that could put the campus in danger. They not only prepare to restrain danger but also strive to prevent an imminent emergency that could affect students. They also play a major role in football games safety, severe weather or intrusive danger.

“It’s extremely important that we maintain a safe campus,” Selman said. “Especially in this day and age, in a lot of ways this side of things has become more vital.”

The Emergency Management and Safety Services office hosts various programs and safety protocols side by side with UNT police and sometimes the Denton Police Department.

Being the fifth largest public university in Texas, Selman said he believes it’s important UNT has student representation in emergency and campus safety related issues. He added he is thrilled to have a student be part of the council committee as to help provide their perspectives.

The office of Emergency and Safety services hosts programs and sends out alerts related to safety. They host exercises on Sundays with the UNT police and simulate emergency situations to identify gaps in their protocols. In one scenario, Selman and his team mimicked an active shooter.

Although the department of safety services always existed, student involvement is now increasing the campus’ awareness of it. Selman said many students are showing more interest in this line of major.

SGA President Barrett Cole says SGA is involved in 45 different committees on campus. Their goal is to have a student representative on all committees so students have a voice.

“It’s really a new opportunity for students to get involved in different areas of campus,” Cole said. “Because a lot of time it can feel like staff is making decisions without the students’ input.”

Feature Image: Scottie Selman, director of the UNT Office of Emergency Management and Safety Services, oversees campus safety and protocol. | Banin Fatima