President's Letter to Parents, Families and Friends

February 12, 2003

Dear Trinity Parents, Families and Friends:

During these days of global concern, I want to assure you that we are doing everything possible here at Trinity to ensure the safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff. From the sad experience we all shared on September 11, we know that any event that occurs in Washington, or any threat against the city, is cause for distress among our students and their families and friends. We have used that experience to create emergency plans and communication pathways to ensure safety, comfort and peace of mind during any future emergency in the city of Washington.

Enclosed is a copy of a memo I sent yesterday to the campus community reminding everyone of the protocols for emergencies, the phone numbers and meeting places. Please note, in particular, the phone numbers on the bottom of the first page that you can call if you are trying to locate your daughter, relative or friend. Please also note our request to students that they make their own communication plans with families and friends; I urge you to be pro-active in pursing a plan for emergency communication with your student at Trinity.

Please know that we are in continuous contact with all other universities in Washington as well as with the business community, and in turn, we have worked with those associations and the DC Police, Office of Emergency Preparedness and federal authorities to be sure that our emergency plan is as comprehensive and effective as possible. In any emergency, we are in a communication loop with the other campuses and the local emergency preparedness teams to be sure that Trinity has all relevant information and resources.

While none of us can be sure about what might happen, we do believe that Trinity’s location on the outskirts of the city is relatively safe. Unless we have information that indicates that we should take a different course of action, if something happens in downtown Washington we would urge our students to remain on campus until the situation is resolved or action plans become clear. Sometimes attempting to travel in such situations is far more perilous than staying put until the situation settles down, at which time we can help students with travel plans if they wish to return home. We can also accommodate commuter students overnight if circumstances so require.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me directly if you need additional information or want to discuss any aspect of this message. Your daughter’s welfare and safety, and your peace of mind while she is at Trinity, are of paramount importance to me and my colleagues in the administration and on the faculty. Please join our campus community as well in praying for peace in these troubled times.

With good wishes,

President Patricia McGuire
202-884-9050
president@trinitydc.edu