Feb. 6, 2024–John Vanderpool, director of housing and residence life at 含羞草社区, is one of five education professionals in the nation to receive a 2024 Campus Safety and Violence Prevention Award from NASPA, the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. This award comes as a result of Vanderpool鈥檚 fast reaction to a sprinkler pipe burst in one of Missouri Western鈥檚 residential halls last year.
Vanderpool was surprised when he initially learned of the award.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 really feel like I did much here outside of my job because this is my passion,鈥� Vanderpool said. 鈥淏ut I couldn鈥檛 do it without the team I have within residence life, the amazing campus partners and the students that were so patient.鈥�
On Christmas Eve 2022, while most students were away on semester break, Vanderpool and his team learned of a ruptured sprinkler pipe in the common area of Vartabedian Hall. They quickly assembled to build a plan to safely relocate students from Vartabedian Hall to Vaselakos.听
Plans involved a coordinated effort. Residence Life contacted students who were in Vartabedian Hall. Custodial services quickly prepared Vaselakos Hall for move-in. Physical plant, university officials, faculty and staff helped move the students and their belongings safely. And outside contractors were brought in to repair the pipe quickly.听
Vanderpool鈥檚 team then moved on to the next challenge, preparing the rest of Vaselakos and reaching out to all who were not on campus to notify them. Then came the challenges of social media and how quickly information can spread. Vanderpool attributes the assistance of marketing and communications staff to curtailing those concerns.
A restoration plan was then mapped out to have Vartabedian back up and running for the summer students and interns.听
To further student safety and foster community this semester, housing andresidence life recently implemented Griffon Gold Community Standards, an initiative that works hand-in-hand with the Student Conduct Code. The goal is to have students realize community and learn how to react when they have violated those standards.
鈥淲e鈥檝e already been able to have a lot of great conversations,鈥� Vanderpool said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also allowed us to react quicker in some ways to some of those violations.鈥�
Griffon Gold Community Standards is ultimately about the safety and comfort of the students who live on campus and building a community where students are happy and proud to live.
News release written by Patty Lashbrook, sophomore convergent journalism and public relations major.
含羞草社区 is a student-centered learning community preparing individuals for lives of excellence through applied learning. Missouri Western is located in St. Joseph, Mo., and is committed to the educational, economic, cultural and social development of the region it serves. Visit .听