CSHEMA: The National Campus Safety and Security Project

          The Campus Safety Association, CSA, was founded in 1954 to address the unique safety challenges that higher education settings encounter (CSHEMA.org, 2011).  Environmental health and safety functions have become more integral to the overall success of higher education institutions.  From the highly technical aspects such as disposal of hazardous materials, general incineration of campus waste, proper handling of chemicals, and interpretation of federal regulations to the most basic of human concerns, like insuring a safe working environment for personnel and assuring safe fire exits from dormitories, colleges and universities increasingly rely on safety professionals.

In 1995, CSA changed its name to Campus Safety, Health, and Environmental Management Association, CSHEMA.  An independent non-profit organization, CSHEMA supports and drives its mission by educating and influencing society to adopt safety, health, and environmental policies, practices, and procedures through networking, training, and advocacy Efforts (CSHEMA.org, 2011).  Its membership includes more than 400 colleges and universities across the United States, including the University of Memphis (CSHEMA.org, 2011).

In 2008, CSHEMA sponsored a report, National Campus Safety and Security Project, along with eight other members.  The report was funded by a grant from a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. (NACUBO, 2008).  It  was  distributed  by the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), a strong affiliate of CSHEMA,  to  the  chief  business  officers  at  2,203  institutions.  The  National  Campus  Safety  and  Security  Project  was  launched  by  a  NACUBO led  consortium  of  leading  professional  organizations  committed  to  campus  safety  and  security  to  learn  more  about  specific  plans and  procedures  colleges  have  implemented  to  address  today’s  all‐hazards  state  of  campus  safety  and  security (NACUBO, 2008).  

The results indicate that after an emergency, campuses priority services are campus police (88.9 %), physical plant (82.2 %), and telecommunications (80.7 %) (NACUBO, 2008).  Emergency preparedness budget spending has increase in the past years for over two-thirds of respondents, however only 3% of institutions dedicate campus fees to campus safety and security (NACUBO, 2008).  Campuses receive additional funding from federal, state, local, corporations, and non-profit organizations (NACUBO, 2008).  A majority of institutions (71 %) lump their emergency preparedness into their public safety budget (NACUBO, 2008).  Overall, the survey results indicate that higher education institutions are both proactive and organized in addressing the four phases of emergency management: preparedness, response, recovery, and prevention (NACUBO, 2008).   

CSHEMA has increased awareness of environmental health and safety issues, while at the same time communicating and helping implement evolving government regulations on campus.  The organization creates literature that helps define the roles of campus administration when it comes to Environmental Health and Safety (EHS), especially in emergency situations.  With new political and social agendas promoting “environmentally friendly” programs, CSHEMA definitely has an initiative to project ideas and operations to further its mission.  In fact, the CSHEMA website offers a brochure on the “CSHEMA Corporate Connection: The Way to Higher Education Results” (2011) which details how an organization can integrate marketing and media services through CSHEMA membership.  Paid membership provides institutions with promotional vehicles (public relations, advertising, and marketing) at varying stages to reach a target audience (CSHEMA Association, 2011).  CSHEMA boasts over 1,000 members from more than 400 higher education institutions in eight countries who have the opportunity to “drive awareness and demand directly with decision makers” (CSHEMA Association, 2011, p.5).  This aggressive promotion of paid relationships does cause some alarm.  Perhaps their sponsored reports and surveys results are inflated in order to promote products and services sold by partnering members. 

CSHEMA website. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.cshema.org/

CSHEMA Association. (2011). Integrated marketing and media services. Retrieved from http://www.cshema.org/uploadedFiles/PUBLISHED/Membership/2011%20CSHEMA%20Corporate%20Connection_LOW_RES.pdf

NACUBO (2008). Results of the National Campus Safety and Security Project Survey. Retrieved from http://www.nacubo.org/Initiatives/Campus_Safety_and_Security.html