Emergency Management

At Washington and Lee University, we take great pride in a community of trust and care for one another. However, we also recognize that W&L and the City of Lexington are not immune from emergencies. We encourage you to explore this website where you'll find information about how we communicate in the event of minor or major emergencies, a summary of the University's Emergency Management Plan and other details about how the University responds in the event of an emergency. With this said, our primary goal in emergency management is to mitigate the causes of emergencies and foster a nurturing community that cares for one another.

In the event of severe weather that could cause a delay in the opening of the University or in a closure, or in the event of a major violent incident on campus or a major public health event, the University’s Emergency Management Executive Team will communicate with members of the campus community in a variety of ways depending on the type of incident.

General Alerts System: W&L has contracted with Omnilert to create General Alerts and provide text message alerts in the event of a major emergency. This important service is available free of charge to all students, faculty and staff. Please register a text-capable cell phone number so you will get these messages.

LiveSafe App: LiveSafe, a mobile-safety technology for the Washington and Lee University community, empowers students, University employees, and campus visitors to take charge of their own safety and to look out for those around them.

We encourage students, faculty and staff to bookmark this page (http://emergency.wlu.edu) their office and home computers and mobile devices so it can be easily accessed. This site provides important information regarding Public Safety contacts on campus as well as listings of emergency management resources in the local and regional area and nationally.

Weather Events: The University will provide information via General Alerts text messages, the university website, e-mail, LiveSafe, and local radio and TV stations.

Violent Incidents and Public Health Events: The University will use the General Alerts text messaging system to alert students, faculty, and staff about a major emergency on campus. In addition, the University will make use of other sources such as e-mail, website, LiveSafe and a systematic deployment of University personnel who can alert people to the emergency and provide instructions.

If you have questions about emergency management at the University, please contact Dr. Craig VanClief, Director of Public Safety, at cvanclief@wlu.edu. During an actual emergency, check the University website or call Public Safety at (540) 458-8999 for updates and information.