• Mail, Security, Medical Measures Announced
  • UCSB Researcher Trains Red Cross
  • Open Enrollment Details Sent
  • Research: Marine Bacteria Foster Iron Cycling
  • New Committee to Grapple with Parking Issues
  • Campus Notes
  • U.S. Demographics Favor Firearms Control
  • Volunteers Sought for Family Weekend
  • 'War of the Worlds' to Capture the Stage on Friday
  • Campus Summer Energy Savings Trims 14%; Gas Savings Next Goal
  • Chicano Art Donated to Archives
  • Credits
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    Mail, Security, Medical Measures Announced


     
     
    Capt. Bill Bean, acting chief of UCSBPD, and Dr. Cynthia Bowers, director of health service, outline their response preparations.
    Heightened concern over anthrax and other biological agents that could be transported through the postal system has resulted in revised handling procedures for incoming and outgoing campus mail.
    Following FBI guidelines, any suspicious mail--discolored wrapping, no return address, strange odor, etc.--should be left unopened and reported to campus police (x3446). Suggested precautions to take if exposure is suspected, such as washing one's hands, are to be found under "Tragedy's Aftermath" on the UCSB Home Page www.ucsb.edu, and by clicking on "Campus Advisories."
    Complete return addresses should be on all outgoing campus mail or the U.S. Postal Service may return it, warned Dan Manfredonia, mail services manager.
    Managers of the Student Health Service and the UCSB Police Department have issued information on their agencies' preparedness for a campus incident of bioterrorism. The question-and-answer comments from Capt. Bill Bean, acting chief of UCSBPD, and Dr. Cynthia Bowers, director of health services, which can be found in full at the above site on the home page, are highlighted here:
    Dr. Bowers estimated that the risk of death from biological terrorism remains extremely low, about one in 140 million, and called it "negligible" when compared to the risk from driving a car . She said that if an incident occurs on campus involving agents such as anthrax, smallpox, plague, or botulism, student health clinicians are "familiar with the signs of all these illnesses." With the help of the Division of Student Affairs and the county Public Health Department, medical intervention in an identified case would be "efficient and timely," she added.
    Capt. Bean said that police have increased their visibility at the campus core and the frequency of foot patrols through residence halls as prevention measures. The whole force is on alert, he said, meaning that officers are being particularly vigilant with regard to activities and situations that might be associated with a terrorist threat, biological or nonbiological. Security staffing for large public events has been increased, for example, and anyone carrying a bag will be stopped and checked.