This document outlines Cal MSA’s strategy for responding to urgent emergency situations. This is not meant to be shared with anyone who is not an MSA board member.
As MSA board members, we bear responsibility for the wellbeing of our community members, especially at MSA events or spaces. Circumstances may necessitate a coordinated, urgent response to emergency situations that may arise. The following serves as a guide for how to do so in a respectful, empathetic manner which takes into account the mental and physical wellbeing of all parties involved.
Identify the threat or emergency when it occurs.
The issue must be brought to the attention of a board member when it occurs. This may be through a community member who reports the incident.
Determine the severity of the incident and understand how soon action must be taken.
Some emergencies may not require immediate resolution, or might require further discussion. Others, such as life-threatening emergencies, may need to be resolved immediately even if not all of board is reachable.
Depending on the severity, respond in a coordinated manner.
Most emergencies, especially emotionally distressing ones, must be dealt with by board as a collective, and should not be a burden shouldered by any one member. Here are some potential ways a coordinated action can be undertaken:
a. For high-stake situations wherein further discussion is needed, it is expected that all board members make themselves available to meet together to discuss a collective response. All board members must be contacted immediately whether through Slack, text, email, or phone for an emergency meeting in-person or virtually.
b. For situations when many action items need to be taken, a board member familiar with the situation decides how to allocate action items equitably, factoring in each board members’ individual capacities.
c. For situations where an immediate response is needed AND more board members are unavailable, a board member familiar with the situation can unilaterally make the decisions needed to address the emergency. Remaining board members must be updated as soon as possible afterwards.
MSA board members have a responsibility to make themselves available in dealing with such emergencies, and a consistent failure to do so may result in termination from their position.
If needed, refer the situation to qualified people with the capability to address the situation.
Some emergencies may be out of MSA’s scope to handle. The best we can do is to refer the incident to those with the capability to address it. This may include:
Provide support to individuals involved.
Emergencies may take an emotional toll on individuals who were involved. Depending on the situation, it may be MSA board members’ responsibility to provide support and enable the wellbeing of the people involved (including other board members). This may require:
Conduct an autopsy on MSA’s response to the incident after an appropriate amount of time.
Once an appropriate amount of time has passed, board should break down their response to the incident in order to understand whether it was effectively dealt with. Considering evaluating:
Properly evaluating the response necessitates input from community members and other involved parties. Consider mindfully asking community members for their feedback on MSA’s response, depending on the situation.
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