Glover, Lathrop & Young 1

Crisis Communication Plan:

Terrorist Bombing at KSU Sports and Entertainment Park
Deija Glover, Madison Lathrop, Jaclyn Young

I. Executive Summary

This document will be available to the public as well as the entire organization. The steps being
taken to control this event as well as the steps being taken to rebuild the park are as follows. We
want people to have access to this document; therefore, it will be available via pdf on our
website. This document is carefully laid out. People can find the crisis situation first explaining
the details as to what we know now and the entities that are being directly affected by this crisis.
Our spokesperson and all other communication team members are listed as to what their jobs
will be and the method of delivery to their publics in the next section under crisis communication
team. Stakeholders are discussed in the next section and local media and meeting locations will
be defined following the stakeholders. Local media will have the entity listed with a phone
number and an email address attached. In some cases local media will also have a name listed as
well. Equipment and supplies will be listed as well as the professionals who are responsible for
the particular item in this section.

II. Crisis Situation

A political insurgent/ protester detonated a bomb at the opening game of the Kennesaw
State owls’ football season. As a result of this tragic event 15 people were killed and another
twenty-five more suffered serious injuries. The events of this tragedy are still being developed. It
is important that we work closely with the FBI and the Kennesaw State Police to confirm any
new and upcoming details as the scene will be considered a crime scene and will be under
their authority. We would be working diligently with Zach Kerns, the acting executive director
and general manager of the park.
This crisis situation is directly affecting the Kennesaw State stadium which is a part of
our client, the Sports and Entertainment Park. The stadium would endure serious damages. This
will affect future events such as concerts, other teams outside of Kennesaw state that travel to
Kennesaw’s stadium to host their games and all other 200,000 users that occupy this park. The
park itself would have to be closed for a period of time to investigate all parts before reopening
to the public. The safety and security of the public would be our first priority and we want to
make sure there are no other threats to the park before reopening.

III. Crisis Communication Team

There will be two spokespeople that will be on this case. One will be the head FBI agent, Robert
Phillips, who is in charge of the case itself and the other spokesperson will be the head of the
crisis communication team, John Seymour. Both of these spokespeople will play a critical role in
the crisis plan. Zach Kerns, executive director and general manager of the park, will be in charge
of making all the calls and overseeing the actions of everyone on the crisis communications
team. Kristen Cox will be our lead in-house communications professional. Her job will be to
 Glover, Lathrop & Young 2

oversee the communications team as a whole. The job will be to oversee and approve of all
newsletters, stories to the media as well as making sure everyone on the communications team is
doing what they are supposed to do.

Name of Position Within Company What is their role on the Crisis Communication
Team Team? (Brief description is acceptable)
Member

Jaclyn Administrative Assistant Meeting with Executives and the Board of

Young Director Directors from the KSU park. This job entails
personal visits with executives as well as dealing
with meetings with both entities. This job entails
two people; therefore the lead in- house
communication representative, Kristen Cox, will be
assisting in this job

Deija Guest experience team Dejia’s job requires informing all customers via e-
Glover member mail of, changes of dates to events, refunds,
information on new and upcoming dates for events,
all rescheduled events and times.

Madison Media contact and Press Running social media, newsletters, news releases
Lathrop contact team member and stories for the newspaper. She will also be in
charge of the 24/7 outline. This job entails speaking
with the media and journalists and well as being
affluent in press conferences and in interviews.

IV. Key Stakeholder Groups

Key stakeholder groups such as the faculty, board, and students will be notified
individually due to casualties from the crisis being present. Since this is a case of an active and
present threat to the campus, we will notify internal stakeholders immediately and the crisis
communication team will meet at the designated meeting location, which will be found below.
External stakeholders such as community members, and parents of the students and family
members of the staff will be notified through email blasts, text message alerts, as well as through
updates on the website. A 24/7 hotline will be accessible for members of the crisis
 Glover, Lathrop & Young 3

communication team to keep key publics updated with information as the crisis develops and
more facts are presented.
Local media need to be advised so that we can tell the story ourselves and get ahead of
potential rumors being formed. We will show empathy and let all persons affected by this
tragedy know that we care and are working rigorously to determine all of the facts. Only the
President of the University, the head of Public Relations, as well as the Chief of Police of the
Department of Public Safety will be responsible for answering questions from media and press.
A general script will be provided in the media kit, and updated to fit the nature of the situation.
Mandatory training shifts will be held to prepare the crisis communication team for procedures to
handle the event.
Internal stakeholders will include members of the board, the staff, the President, as well
as the students and employees of the Department of Public Safety. These stakeholders will be
notified first and separately from the media. We will have an off-campus meeting location,
which will be given below, for the crisis communication team to discuss the facts, and we will
also send out-email blasts of the facts of the crisis as well as use the automated voice calling
system to give a brief message explaining the present threat and give directions for evacuating all
on-campus buildings. There will also be sirens throughout the campus with a voice over each
speakerbox explaining where to evacuate to.
We will notify police as soon as we receive the initial alert. Due to apparent casualties
from the bomb, federal government will need to be involved. Immediately we will get in contact
with the terrorism department and talk to the head of the terrorism department and give as many
of the facts as we have. We will refrain from guessing or speaking impartially, if we do not know
the answer explain that we will be working to get the answer and will report back as soon as we
have found the correct information. A 24/7 hotline will be opened for the crisis communication
team to answer questions from faculty, staff, and concerned members of the community. As far
as speaking to the media, such as journalists and news and radio reporters or any press, the only
members advised to speak and answer questions are the members listed above, all other crisis
communication team members will refer all questions to one of the persons above.

i. Local Media

Name of Telephone (if you have a E-‐Mail Primary

Media Outlet specific contact, use their Contact
phone number)

Channel 2 / WSB- newstip@wsbtv.com Phone

TV 404-897-7000

Fox 5 404-891-0100 Phone

CNN 404-827-1700 turner.info@turner.com Phone

 Glover, Lathrop & Young 4

ii. Federal/State Government Agencies

Name of Telephone (if you have a E-‐ Primary

Agency specific contact, use their phone Mail Contact
number)

FBI 770-216-3000 Phone

Homeland 404) 767-5215 Phone

Security

iii. Local Government Agencies/Departments

Name of Telephone (if E-‐Mail Primary

Agency you have a specific Contact
contact, use their
phone number)

Police ( Kennesaw 770 429 4535 Phone

Police Department:
Chief Bill
Westenburger)

Fire (Cobb County 770 525 8000 Phone

Fire Station 26)

Hospital ( Wellstar 770 793 5000 Phone

Kennestone Hospital )

KSU Department of 470 578 6206 aaltize1@kennesaw.edu Phone

Public Safety ( Office
of Emergency
Management: Andy
Altzier)

KSU Police (Edward Stephens: Chief 770-423- estephen@kennesaw.edu Phone

of Police) 6666

iv. Other/Optional Groups and Stakeholders

 Glover, Lathrop & Young 5

Name of Telephone (if you have a E-‐ Primary

Group/ specific contact, use their Mail Contact
Stakeholder phone number)

Faculty/ Staff/ (refer to school staff directory (ksu staff Phone, email, website
Students and student email list) emails)

Board Members (refer to media list) (ksu staff phone/email

emails)

Parents of Students (refer to email list) (ksu student email

emails)

Community (refer to website) (through hotline,

members/ leaders social media, website)

V. Meeting Location

In the case of a real and present attack the crisis communication team will meet off
campus at the local police department located at 2529 J.O. Stephenson Ave, Kennesaw, GA
30144.This location will be where one of two equipment and supplies kits will be found.
Instructions on where to find the kit will be provided to authorized members of the crisis
communication team only immediately upon arrival to the location.
In the event of a “false alarm”, the crisis communication team will meet in the public
safety office on-campus located at 1000 Chastain Road Kennesaw, GA 30144. The building is
located across from the Social Sciences Building. Staff will park in the West Deck and follow
the walkway to the first building on the right. The Chief of Police of the public safety office will
be the only member with access to the key to the unlock the safe which contains the second
equipment and supplies kit.

VI. Equipment and Supplies

Essential equipment and supplies for this crisis will be included at both the on-campus
meeting location, as well as the off-campus meeting location. Supplies include media lists with
names and contact information for local news reporters and journalists. Copies of this written
Crisis Communication plan will be provided for all members on the Crisis Communication team.
An incident report log of previous threats that have occurred within the year will be provided to
be shared with both local media as well as authorities.
It is necessary for the Crisis Communication team to stay informed and up-to-date of all
news items, blogs, and social media sites reporting on the event. It will be important to update
social media with consistent information as it develops. Therefore, one tablet and one laptop will
be provided in each kit, as well as chargers for all devices.
Furthermore, a media list with names and contact information for local news reporters
and journalists will be provided. AS well as the contact information for all members on the Crisis
Communication team. Finally, the hotline number will be updated on the website, and be
provided to the designated spokespersons to relay to the media.
 Glover, Lathrop & Young 6

Lastly, scripts will be provided on how to respond to the crisis and will update as the
story develops and more information is provided. Email scripts will be provided as well. Phone
scripts for each crisis communication team member will be provided which will communicate to
stakeholders the best ways to find up-to-date information, including the website and hotline.

Item Person w/ responsibility for

item

Laptop and Charger Jaclyn Young

Tablet and Charger Dejia Glover

Media List Madison Lathrop

Hotline Number/ Crisis Communication Members and Madison Lathrop

Contact Info

Scripts Jaclyn Young

Incident Report Log Dejia Glover

VII. Employee Media Policy:

The only employees of Kennesaw State University allowed to speak to the media during
this time are those who are part of the crisis communication team. This includes the President of
the University, the appointed head of PR for the University, and the head of Department of
Health and Safety for Kennesaw State University. All other employees (staff, faculty,
maintenance, emergency response teams, etc.) are being asked to remain silent in the media
during this time.
If a non-designated employee is approached by the media, we are asking them to politely
decline any form of communication until further notice. We are not asking them to reply with
“no comment” but insisting that they respond with the statement “We do not know enough at this
time in order to speak knowledgably on the bombing situation.” If the person/persons asking
continues to be persistent, employees are being instructed to revert all questions to the members
on the Crisis Communication team or to notify whomever is asking to visit the Kennesaw State
University website or hotline for all known information at this time.
All employees are being required to attend an employee-media communication training
in order to specify the exact procedure expected from each faculty member during this time. At
this training, the appointed Crisis Communication team will go over various ways to avoid
questions or avert questions to the employees who are being allowed to speak to the media. This
training will include multiple scenarios and how to respond to these scenarios. Each employee
will be reminded of his/her individual role within the university on how to respond to and control
aftermath of this tragedy. It will be reiterated that each employee’s silence within the media will
contribute to the overall success of dealing with this crisis.
 Glover, Lathrop & Young 7

VIII. Messaging:

Initial Holding Statement:

A terrorist bombing at The Kennesaw State University football stadium involving students,
faculty, staff and visitors of Kennesaw State University occurred today, September 4th, 2019 at
7:06 p.m. The incident is under investigation and more information will be forthcoming.
For more information as it becomes available, please contact the 24/7 hotline, which can be
found on the Kennesaw State University website under the KSU Department of Public Safety, or
head of KSU Department of Public Safety, Andy Altzier.
For more information about Kennesaw State University, please visit: https://www.kennesaw.edu/

Follow-Up Holding Statement

At 7:06 PM on September 4th, 2019, we were informed of a terrorist bombing attack at KSU
Sports and Entertainment Park, also referred to as “the Park”. There have been 15 reported dead
and 25 reported as injured, 15 of which are in critical condition. The suspected bomber has been
taken in to custody and is being held in a facility in Atlanta. We have provided a 24/7 hotline for
more information, and more investigation is under way to discover the cause of the attack.
Students, faculty and staff have been told to stay away from campus and its other facilities until
further notice.
The cause of the bombing is under investigation and we expect to have more information as soon
as possible. For more information on the incident, please contact Andy Altzeir, the head of the
KSU Department of Public Safety. For more information about the KSU Sports and
Entertainment Park and Kennesaw State University, please visit https://www.kennesaw.edu/.

Initial Press Release:

Terrorist Bombing at Opening Kennesaw State University Football Game Kills 15 and Leaves
More Injured

Media Contact Info:

Madison Lathrop, Head of Crisis Communication PR
(406) 791-4575
madisonlathrop@communications.kennesaw.edu
1000 Chastain Rd.
Kennesaw, GA 30144

On September 4th, 2019, a terrorist bombing occurred at the opening game of Kennesaw State
University’s football team. There have been 15 reported deaths and 25 injuries, 12 of which
remain in critical condition. The suspected bomber has been apprehended and is being held for
questioning by government officials in an undisclosed facility in Atlanta, GA. More information
will be released as it is attained.
 Glover, Lathrop & Young 8

The terrorist bombing that occurred at the University’s opening football game has reportedly
been linked to protesters who oppose the universities openly liberal views regarding LGBTQ
rights. 15 attendees of the opening game were killed in the bombing, and 25 others were reported
injured, 12 of which suffered serious injuries and are still in ICU at Northside Hospital. The
bomber has been apprehended and is being held for questioning at an undisclosed location in
Atlanta, GA, by the Bureau of Terrorism Investigation. The true motive for the attack is still
unknown, but the suspect, who is not being named at this time, is a known anti-LGBTQ
advocate. The University’s recent passing of pro-LGBTQ legislation on campus has been a topic
of discussion throughout the school and surrounding areas, and officials say that there is a very
high chance that this could have been the motive for the attack. Officials are asking that all
questions regarding the incident be averted to the Head of the KSU Department of Public Safety,
Andy Altzier, or the president of the University, Dr. Whitten. All other faculty and staff
members have been asked to remain silent in the media at this time until more information is
known. The University’s Crisis Management and Crisis Communication teams have also set up a
24/7 hotline, and the number for this hotline, as well as the contact information for the appointed
spokespeople, can be found on the homepage of the Kennesaw State University Website.

KSU Sports and Entertainment Park, or “the Park”, is the newest addition to Kennesaw State
University upon its building of a football team in 2015. The school’s football team has won
multiple national titles since its founding, and is only continuing its growth. The sports and
entertainment park is now used for multiple Kennesaw sports games, and can hold up to 25,000
viewers or more. The park is also used by students and faculty for other recreational activities
and is one of the main draws to campus tours for incoming students and visitors. Kennesaw State
University is one of the top public universities in the state of Georgia and is currently the source
of education for over 30,000 students, both on campus and in surrounding areas. It has received
critical acclamation for its success in education, business, and growth over the past 10 years, and
after its merge with Poly-Tech in Marietta, is one of the largest universities in the state.
###

Anticipated Questions:
1. When did this incident occur?
a. This incident occurred at 7:06 PM on September 4th, 2019.
2. Where did this incident occur?
a. The incident occurred in front of the 5/3rd Bank Stadium, Kennesaw’s Football
Stadium, located near Kennesaw State University Campus.
3. What is thought to be the cause of the bombing?
a. The sure cause is currently unknown, but the suspect is a known member of an anti-
LGBTQ group, and officials suspect that the bombing may be linked to the recent
passing of pro-LGBTQ legislation by Kennesaw State University’s President.
4. How many were injured during the bombing?
a. There have been 15 reported deaths following the attack. There have also been 25
persons reported injured, 15 of which are currently being held in the ICU at
Northside Hospital in Atlanta, GA.
5. Has the Park or Kennesaw State University ever had an incident like this occur before?
 Glover, Lathrop & Young 9

a. No, Kennesaw State and its recreational facilities have never had an incident of this
caliber occur before. However, we did have a safety plan for emergencies like this in
place and that is what the University is basing its actions off of at the moment.
6. Was the threat of a terrorist bombing something that KSU and its recreational parks
expected?
a. No, this was not a threat that was especially expected to occur but was definitely one
that was planned for. KSU Emergency Management takes care to plan for any form
of threat to the University and its students and faculty.
7. What is being done for the students and faculty of the university?
a. Students and faculty are being provided with counseling and grief services following
this incident. Many lost families, friends, and loved ones during this t5ragedy. The
KSU Crisis Management team is also providing compensation for any medical costs
of those who acquired injuries during the bombing. They also plan to provide
financial aid to the families of those lost to help cover funeral service costs.
8. What is being done by Kennesaw State University and its recreational services to prevent
this from occurring again in the future?
a. All Kennesaw students and faculty will be receiving training and information
sessions on how to spot suspicious activity in a crowd at large events such as the
opening game where this occurred. The university will be bringing in professionals
in the field of safety to provide demonstrative workshops and seminars that will
inform students on what to look for, how to r4espond, and how to remain safe if a
similar incident were to ever occur in the future.
9. How is Kennesaw State University and The Park planning on keeping students and faculty,
as well as others in the media, updated on further developments on the bombing?
a. The university and The Park plan to use email blasts and its website, as well as social
media, to provide updates on the bombing as soon as information is received. A
telephone hotline has also been set up, and the number where that hotline can be
reached can be found on the home page of the University’s website, as well as in the
email blasts sent to all student and faculty emails.
10. How long does the University believe it will take to repair damages from the bombing?
a. The time frame needed to rebuild The Park is currently unknown, but the University
and its services are working as quickly and efficiently as possible to rebuild and
recover from this crisis. They are hoping to use this tragedy as an opportunity for
new improvements within its facility.

Social Media:

Platform: Facebook
Initial Post/Statement: On September 4th, 2019 at 7:06 PM, the KSU Sports and
Entertainment Park (also known as “the Park”), was struck by a terrorist bombing that
has left 15 dead and 25 injured. The attack is still under investigation, and the cause of
the bombing is still to be determined. For more information, please visit the Kennesaw
State University website in the link below. There is also a number for a telephone hotline
on the webpage, which can be reached 24/7 for more information. Please continue to
follow this Facebook page for updates as they are received. If any persons have any
 Glover, Lathrop & Young 10

information on this incident, please use the hotline on the webpage to speak to a
representative of the KSU Department of Health and Safety. #OwlStrong
https://www.kennesaw.edu

Follow-up Post/Statement: Following the attack on the KSU Sports and Entertainment
Park at Kennesaw State University, a vigil will be held on September 8th at 7PM in the
Kennesaw Recreation Center to mourn those lost in the accident. There is a link on the
website, as well as a link listed below, that can be used to accept any donations wanting
to be made to help support the families and loved ones of those lost or injured during this
terrible event. Please continue to follow these posts and utilize the hotline for further
information. #OwlStrong
https://www.kennesaw.edu/donate

Platform: Instagram

Initial Post/Statement: (including image KSU Sports and Entertainment Park) Today,
Kennesaw State University, faculty, students and staff suffered from a devastating trauma
as the KSU Sports and Entertainment Park, otherwise known as “the Park”, was attacked
by a terrorist bomb during the opening game of the Kennesaw football season. Please
keep those affected in your thoughts as our university handles this tragedy. For more
information, please use the link in the bio. #OwlStrong
^Will include a link in the bio of the Instagram page that takes users to the
Kennesaw State University homepage.
Follow up Post/Statement: (including image of aftermath at the Park with hashtag
#OwlStrong edited onto the image) Following the devastating attack on September 4th,
there will be a vigil service held for those lost during this tragedy. The vigil will take
place on September 8th at 7 PM in the Kennesaw Recreational Center, and more
information can be found by clicking the link in our bio. #OwlStrong

Platform: Twitter

Initial Post/Statement: (September 4th 7:10 PM-following attack) WARNING: Terrorist

bombing has been reported at KSU Sports Park. Please seek safety. More information
will be released ASAP. #OwlStrong

Follow up Post/Statement 1: (September 4th at 10 PM) There have been 15 reported dead
and 25 reported injured following the terrorist bombing at KSU Park this evening. For
more information, please go to https://www.kennesaw.edu/... #OwlStrong

Follow up Post/Statement 2: (September 5th at 10 AM) For more information on the

terrorist bombing at the Park, please continue to check the Kennesaw State University
webpage at https://www.kennesaw.edu/... Donations wanting to be made to aid victims
can be made at https://www.kennesaw.edu/donate #OwlStrong

Follow up Post/Statement 3: (September 5th at 7 PM) A vigil will be held for those lost
during the terrorist bombing at KSU Sports and Entertainment park on September 8th at
 Glover, Lathrop & Young 11

7PM in the KSU REC center. For more information, please visit
https://www.kennesaw.edu/ #OwlStrong

IX. Social Media Management:

Monitoring:
Based on the USAF Response Assessment tool, we will be monitoring Facebook and Instagram
the closest. This is because these are the social media platforms that allow for the most interact
between users and that allow for the most information to be provided at one time to audience
members.
In terms of the Facebook account, we will be providing the largest amount of information
in the postings, as opposed to other platforms. If viewers of these posts find concurrence with the
post and choose to respond, either positively or negatively, we will follow the USAF Response
tool and seek to be transparent and timely with responses, provide sources for the information
used in responses, reflect a compassionate and informed tone, which is the overall goal for the
image of the company, and focus highly on responding to those who have the largest amount of
influence on the overall outcome of the situation. We will choose to not only monitor this site but
be as interactive with followers as possible in order to avoid any misinformation and to avoid
appearing “uncaring” for the audience members trying to interact with the posts.
For Instagram, we will be focusing more on the student body due to the fact that
Instagram is one of the most widely used social media platforms by ages 18-25, which is the
majority of the people most directly affected by the crisis. Comments on Instagram do not allow
for as much information due to character limits, but we will aim to provide links to further
information for anyone asking. There will also be a link in the Instagram bio that will take users
to the main page of the school website, where further information will be provided. When
responding to Instagram comments, we will aim to keep our responses short and informative, but
still maintain a tone of compassion by responding to as many concerned users as possible.
We still plan to monitor our third social media platform, Twitter, but because Twitter will
be used for short, informative blasts containing links to more information, we do not expect as
much user-follower interaction on this site. Twitter has a very short character limit; therefore, we
will be instructing the person running the Twitter account to respond to any responses to posts
with a link to the school website, where more detailed information can be found. We will also
instruct them to provide the 24/7 hotline number to any responders seeking to speak to a
representative of the Crisis Management Team.

Communicating:

*All social media platforms being used to communicate with stakeholders will embracing the use
of hashtags by including the hashtag #OwlStrong at the end of all posts. Hashtags make
distributing information easier to outside viewers because they connect all posts on the social
media platform together. They are a way to categorize posts regarding the same incident
together, and posts made with hashtags tend to accumulate twice as much engagement as posts
without.*
We will be using the social media platform Facebook as our main source of
communication with the surrounding community of Kennesaw State University and the KSU
 Glover, Lathrop & Young 12

Sports and Entertainment Park. This is because Facebook offers the “share” tool, allowing posts
and blasts to be circulated beyond those who already follow the KSU Park Facebook page. The
surrounding community, including parents and loved ones, will be the stakeholders most likely
to gather information from these Facebook posts, and because how quickly the “share” option
allows posts to spread, we expect the news to travel widely in a very short amount of time. This
group of stakeholders will have a significant effect on the success of the Park following the
crisis, and Facebook will be a prominent social media platform for sharing information on the
cause, any vigil or funeral services, or any other ways these stakeholders can contribute to the
cause.
We will be using Twitter and Instagram to focus more on the student body affected by the
crisis. These social media platforms are more catered towards and more widely used by age
ranges that make up most of the student body at Kennesaw State University, and the ability to
deliver information quickly in as few words as possible will appeal to the student body
stakeholders that tend to be younger and more involved in these social media platforms. Students
will have the ability to “subscribe” to posts from these platforms, therefore receiving
notifications every time there has been a post regarding the incident. These sites also allow for
more user-follower interaction, giving our crisis management an opportunity to interact with
those most heavily affected by the crisis. Both of these platforms will also include links to the
school website in their bio, providing a way more students to gain more information on the crisis.