Dear Morehouse Community:

We have been informed that one of our off-campus students has the 2009 H1N1 flu. We understand that the student is receiving the appropriate health care from his family physician and is recuperating at home.

As you may know, flu can spread easily from person to person. Therefore, we are taking precautionary steps to prevent the spread of flu on our campus for as long as possible, but we need your help to accomplish this.

We are staying in close contact with the health department and the Centers for Disease Control in monitoring flu conditions. We will keep you updated with new information as it becomes available to us. To get the latest information available, you may go to www.morehouse.edu/emergency.

We are doing everything we can to keep our institution operating as usual. To assist us, here are a few things you can do to help:

• Practice good hand hygiene by washing your hands with soap and water, especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based hand cleaners also are effective. For your convenience, hand sanitizer stations are being placed in common areas and residential halls.
• Practice respiratory etiquette by covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your elbow or shoulder, not into your hands. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth; germs are spread this way.
• Know the signs and symptoms of the flu. A fever is a temperature taken with a thermometer that is equal or greater than 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius. Look for possible signs of fever: if the person feels very warm, has a flushed appearance, or is sweating or shivering. Persons exhibiting any of these flu-like symptoms should immediately visit their personal physician. Students can visit Student Health Services (Infirmary) between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday-Friday. After hours, students should contact Campus Police at 404-215-2666 for transportation to a local medical facility.
• Stay home if you have flu or flu-like symptoms for at least 24 hours after you no longer have a fever (100 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Celsius) or signs of a fever (have chills, feel very warm, have a flushed appearance, or are sweating). You should take your temperature before taking a fever-reducing medication (one containing ibuprofen or acetaminophen). Don’t go to class or work.
• Talk with your health care providers about whether you should be vaccinated for seasonal flu. Also if you are at a higher risk for flu complications from 2009 H1N1 flu, you should consider getting the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available. People at higher risk for 2009 H1N1 flu complications include pregnant women and people with chronic medical conditions (such as asthma, heart disease, or diabetes). For more information about priority groups for vaccination, visit www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/vaccination/acip.htm.

If this year’s flu season becomes more severe, we may take additional precautions.

For more information about the flu in our community and what our institution is doing, visit www.morehouse.edu/emergency. For students who are experiencing flu-like symptoms, please go to Student Health Services located in the lower level of Brazeal Hall or call 404-215-2637. For the most up-to-date information on flu, visit www.flu.gov, or call 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636).

We will notify you through our emergency response system via email (office and/or home), phone (office, cell and/or home) and text message of any additional changes to our institution’s strategy to prevent the spread of flu on our campus. To update or change your contact information, please go to TigerNet as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

William B. Bynum Jr.
Vice President for Student Services

Campus Safety Letter to Parents - September 15, 2009 Letter to Parents and Friends

Campus Safety

Morehouse College and the Department of Campus Safety are committed to providing a safe environment for all students, faculty, staff and visitors.

Campus Safety monitors all vehicles coming onto campus through our two access points. In addition, our officers are deployed across four geographical zones and patrol the campus 24 hours a day — by foot as well as in police cars and motorized carts.

We also work with the Atlanta Police Department and other campus police departments to patrol the Atlanta University Center area. It's important to remember that while the area surrounding Morehouse is being revitalized, individuals should remain aware of their surroundings at all times.

Security and Technology
Morehouse has installed about 30 surveillance cameras throughout campus. Collectively, they cover about 70% of the open space on campus, with an emphasis on parking lots and pedestrian routes. The cameras are monitored 24 hours a day at Campus Safety headquarters.

We also employ solar-powered emergency call boxes, most of which are in view of a surveillance camera. Pushing the button on a call box immediately sends a message to the radio of every Campus Safety officer, giving him or her the location of the box. This system bypasses the need for an officer dispatch. Typical response time is three to five minutes.

Where to Report a Crime
For incidents occurring on Morehouse property, please call Campus Safety at (404) 215-2666. (We encourage you to program this number into your cell phone's address book.) For incidents occurring off-campus, please dial 911.

Crime Prevention and Education
We encourage interested parties to contact Campus Safety for information about seminars on crime prevention and safety. Our department also provides crime prevention data, empowering members of our community to better protect themselves and their assets.

To access campus crime statistics for the most recent three-year period, please stop by Campus Security or visit www.securityoncampus.org and search for "Morehouse College" under the Crime Statistics heading.