CSC implements “I Love You Guys” emergency program

Within the past year, CSC students and staff may have noticed a subtle yet potentially life-saving addition to campus buildings: reflective numbers on the upper right-hand corners of doors.

This is one key aspect of the “I Love You Guys” program, a national emergency protocol system that CSC security has implemented. Entrances to buildings and interior doors are numbered so that, in the case of an emergency, those in danger can call 911 and tell emergency personnel the building and number of the entrance they are closest to. This gives the responders a reference point, so that they can go to the specific spot where they’re needed. Mark Hunt, CSC security supervisor, is largely responsible for CSC adopting the national program. 

“Our local Law Enforcement and emergency personnel are aware of the system, they know how we’re numbering,” Hunt said, “and what it’s going to do is it’s going to speed up the response time of those people coming to campus. What we’ve found with the violent acts on campuses across the U.S is the quicker we can get to a location, the quicker we can put an end to the violence.”

The “I Love You Guys” foundation was started in 2006 by Ellen and John-Michael Keyes after their daughter, Emily, was killed in a school shooting at Platte Canyon High School in Bailey, Colorado.

Although there was some discussion at CSC about it prior, Hunt met with the principle of Chadron High School last year to discuss the “I Love You Guys” program, which CHS had already been using.

 Hunt said that one of the main reasons why they looked into adopting this emergency program was because local law enforcement and emergency personnel were already familiar with it, having collaborated with CHS on the procedures. 

Hunt also explained that, because of the difference in layout between the CHS and CSC campuses, the program had to be altered a bit.

“We had to look at what we were dealing with compared to what they were doing, and manipulate it to fit our needs,” he said. 

One major difference between the CHS and CSC campuses is the number of buildings, which prompted CSC security to prioritize which buildings’ entrances should be numbered first. Hunt said that they placed the reflective numbers at the entrances of the most high-traffic structures on campus first, like the Student Center and dorm halls. 

As of now, Hunt said that all exterior doors on campus are numbered, and about 75 to 80 percent of interior doors are numbered, although they will all eventually receive the numerical stencils. 

For consistency, each building’s most north-facing entrance is numbered as one and, moving clockwise around the building, the entrances are numbered two, three, and so on and so forth until all entrances are labeled.

Hunt said that the numbers on the doors will need replaced in about four to five years, at which point CSC security will examine how the program is working, and consider making any necessary changes to the system. So far, the “I Love You Guys” program has been utilized by ambulance calls to campus.

“I’m happy where we’re at right now. I think we’ve made great progress,” Hunt said, “I think the program has already shown how it can help us out with speeding up response time with the ambulance calls.”

Hunt stressed that another large element of “I Love You Guys” is the role of the public.

“The role of everybody in this is obviously if you see something, we need you to report it. If something looks out of place, we need you to let someone know,” Hunt said.