Strengthening Campus Safety: Enhancing Armed Intruder Preparedness for Duke's International Community and Beyond

As part of our participation in the Emerging Leaders Institute (ELI), our team members were charged with identifying and developing a project that would improve the campus experience for graduate students and postdocs. When the ELI program began in January 2024, the fatal shooting at UNC during the fall semester of 2023 was still fresh in our minds, since that campus is only a few miles away from Duke. In addition, one of our team members, Ningjie, had experienced an active shooter incident on her campus while she was an undergraduate. Because she was an international student, she did not feel prepared for such situations, as these incidents are not common across the world. Ningjie’s experience highlighted the challenges many international students and postdocs face in navigating such incidents in the U.S. and helped to launch our team’s project. We saw that armed intruder training designed for members of the Duke community who come from outside the U.S. could create a powerful impact.

Identifying the Issue

Our journey began with holistically evaluating existing safety resources and their availability and accessibility, especially regarding the unique needs of international graduate students and postdocs. Through informational interviews, anecdotal accounts, and liaising with the Duke Police, we uncovered significant gaps in knowledge and resources related to armed intruder preparedness for students and faculty on Duke’s campus. We especially felt passionate about this project because of the aforementioned armed intruder event at UNC, and because of the personal experiences of one of our team members.

Our Approach

Motivated by these insights, our ELI team initiated a project to address the unmet need for armed intruder preparedness among Duke’s international community. Collaboration was crucial to our approach, and we sought support from various stakeholders, including Duke Police, the Duke International Student Center (DISC), the Duke Graduate School, and the Office of Postdoctoral Services (OPS).

Both Duke Graduate School and OPS staff believed that although this was a challenging topic, it was worth pursuing to provide enhanced armed intruder preparedness resources and illuminate the available trainings to the Duke Community.

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Our team contacted Aaron Pruka, a community services officer at Duke Police,  and the Duke Police Department for guidance and resources. Their support was instrumental in ensuring our initiatives aligned with safety regulations and best practices. We were given all current resources on armed intruder preparedness and identified gaps in their readability and barriers in the searching methods where these resources were shared. We worked closely with Officer Pruka to discern that the most impactful resource would be a mainly image-based flyer so people could quickly view the flyer and understand the concepts of armed intruder preparedness without needing to read copious text. This is especially crucial for the international graduate student and postdoc population at Duke that does not speak English as a primary language.  We further worked with Duke Police to break this flyer down into individual sections to be viewed as digital signage around the campus, an avenue they were already planning.

Constructing an Impactful Infographic

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To bridge the gap in preparedness, we focused on developing accessible and culturally sensitive resources. Our team crafted an infographic flyer for inclusion in graduate student and postdoc orientation materials. By condensing essential information and utilizing visual aids such as stick figures depicting emergency actions, we aimed to overcome language barriers and effectively engage our international community. This infographic was reviewed by both Duke Police and DISC and informally by other Duke community members to ensure sensitivity and accuracy in portraying what to do in an armed intruder situation.

Getting the Word Out on Duke Radio

Kevin D'Arco, Senior Associate Dean of International Students from DISC, played a pivotal role in our project by offering invaluable insights into the unique needs and challenges international students face. His contributions deepened our understanding of the issue, prompting us to explore alternative methods to reach diverse audiences and enhance awareness of available resources. As a result, we expanded the scope of our initiatives to include radio public safety announcements strategically designed to inform the community about the availability of resources and the option to request armed intruder training through Duke Police. These succinct radio spots effectively condensed essential safety tips, ensuring broad dissemination of critical information across the campus. Listen to an example below. 

Final Steps and Future Outlook

Our efforts culminated in creating comprehensive resources, including an infographic flyer, digital signage graphics, radio PSAs, and targeted training sessions for armed intruder preparedness. Moving forward, we remain committed to evaluating and refining our approach to armed intruder preparedness, ensuring the safety and well-being of all members of the Duke community.

In conclusion, our project exemplifies Duke University's dedication to fostering a safe and inclusive campus environment. By identifying and addressing the specific needs of our international community, we strive to empower individuals to respond effectively in emergencies, ultimately enhancing our campus community's resilience.

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AUTHORS

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Kene Anumba
Ph.D. student, Physics

Kene Anumba is a third-year Ph.D. student in physics, where he currently works with Professor Dan Scolnic. His research focuses on Type Ia Supernovae (SNe) Cosmology, developing simulation-based methods to understand the expansion history of the universe and measurement of distances across cosmic time. He holds a bachelor’s degree in physics and astronomy from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Prior to his doctoral studies at Duke, he worked as an enterprise architect for a financial services firm. Additionally, he is an involved member of the Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG). In his leisure time, he enjoys playing the piano and has a keen interest in traveling.

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Greg Hernandez
Ph.D. candidate, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Greg Hernandez is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in Dr. Steven Cummer’s group in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. Before arriving at Duke, Greg earned a B.S. in Audio and Music Engineering from the University of Rochester as well as an M.S. in Acoustical Engineering from the University of Southampton while studying abroad on a Fulbright Scholarship. Supported by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, Greg’s research focuses on the application of acoustic metamaterials and electroacoustics, such as completely removing noise from an environment or making sound clearer from a source. Outside of academia, Greg enjoys teaching and outreach, powerlifting, kayaking, building loudspeakers, and performing as an electronic musician.

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Ningjie Hu
Ph.D. candidate, Earth and Climate Sciences

Ningjie Hu is a Ph.D. candidate in the Earth and Climate Sciences program. Her research centers on the river and delta dynamics in the coastal zone and their responses to climate changes. She is also enrolled in the Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship Certificate program and hopes to use the certificate program to sharpen her skills in connecting science and business to solve sustainable challenges. She received her M.S. in geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin before coming to Duke. In her free time, Ningjie enjoys baking, hiking and playing board games. She also operates an Etsy shop selling wedding-related products.

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Shonagh Russell, Ph.D.
Postdoctoral Associate, Pharmacology and Cancer Biology

Shonagh Russell, Ph.D. is a postdoctoral associate in Dr. McDonnell’s lab in the Pharmacology and Cancer Biology Department. Since high school, she has been interested in cancer biology; during her Ph.D., she studied the tumor microenvironment, and in her postdoc she focuses on therapeutic resistance in ovarian cancer. She has undertaken professional development activities with the support of her mentor, including project management internships with Duke OASIS and CTSI. With her oncology background and dedication to professional development, she plans to become a team leader successfully conducting oncology clinical trials.