Ole Miss ASB Passes Tornado Legislation

On September 12, the Ole Miss Associated Student Body (ASB) passed Senate Resolution 17–13, which automatically suspends all university activities when a tornado warning is issued through a RebAlert or any other form of official university communication channels.

According to NOAA, Oxford is in the middle of what is considered “Dixie Alley” which usually sees a peak number of tornadoes in late fall (October to December). Most of these tornadoes are considered weak (EF-0 or EF-1) on the Fujita Scale. EF-0 and EF-1 tornadoes have winds anywhere from 40–112 mph and can vary in size.

The idea behind the legislation was brought to the attention of ASB’s Vice President, Elam Miller. A few students reached out to Miller after confusion caused by a RebAlert sent out in early September stating a tornado warning had been issued, but no sirens went off. Many students and faculty did not know the proper procedures.

“Anytime someone sends in an idea to me, whether I really agree with it or disagree with it, I really try to get those voices to the senators,” Miller said. “Someone texted me saying ‘Hey, I was really annoyed with class today with the tornado drills and I was super confused. Is there anyway ASB could do anything to address this?’ I put the idea in our GroupMe and said ‘Hey, I’ve had some people tell me that they were upset about the way the tornado policy was handled, so if y’all want to do some research, I think that’d be a good idea.”

Other students, including junior hospitality and nutrition management major Megan Turner, were anxious when the RebAlert was sent out.

“I was making some mac and cheese and I got scared,” Turner said. “I didn’t know if I needed to go to the clubhouse of my apartment complex and take cover, so I packed my mac and cheese into tub aware and I was ready to go, but then I realized the RebAlert was fake. The warning for a different part of the county and I didn’t have to worry.”

The issue was picked up by Senator and Chairman of External Affairs, Coco McDonnell who drafted the legislation. While the legislation suspends university activities when a tornado warning is issued, it also calls for a RebAlert to be sent out when the warning has been lifted, which will then allow university activities to resume. For classes that have not yet begun, they will resume 30 minutes after the warning has expired given that at least half of the class time remains. McDonnell believed the legislation was needed to clear up any confusion.

“This legislation helps make an emergency procedure safer for students and all those on campus,” McDonnell said. “Clear communication when severe weather happens is a safety issue. The clearer the communication, the safer everyone will be.”

Since the first RebAlert and legislation being passed, no other tornado warnings have been issued for the university/Oxford area. But that doesn’t mean ASB and other campus leaders have stopped working on safer communication in the event of severe weather.

“The university administration has been informed about the new legislation and I know they are currently working on the best way to get the word out on the new legislation,” Miller said. “The administration is working with ASB Cabinet trying to make sure that something positive comes from this legislation.”

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