Don’t Be Scared; Be Prepared!

What do you get when you put together six parents who have all suffered immeasurable trauma and the devastating loss or permanent disability of their children due to preventable accidents at college? You get the College Safety Coalition! Co-founded in 2020 by Nanette Hausman and Mariellen Jacobs, the CSC is comprised of six separate initiatives involving student safety that were created by parents who decided to channel their grief into advocacy. I am so honored to serve alongside these women to fight together for lasting change in the way we look at and measure college safety. Just click on the links below to visit each website and find out a little more about each initiative. Be prepared as you drop your kids off at campus this fall. Your attention now may very well prevent an injury or save your kid’s life.

Nanette Hausman/College911.net

Nanette’s son Corey died from what began as a preventable injury on a campus pathway just 15 days into his freshman year at University of Colorado Boulder. Shockingly, this was the third student death that semester. Discoveries about how unprepared most families are for emergencies and how college safety is defined, measured, and managed left her in disbelief. Equally concerning is the level of emergency care provided to many students. She is driven to help colleges and injury prevention professionals acquire the data and resources needed to minimize the risk of injury and loss of life. She is equally committed to provide tools to prevent other families from living with the devastating loss hers does every single day. College911.net – Saving Lives By Enhancing College Safety

Mariellen Jacobs/Rail Against The Danger

Angi Fiege/Rachaels First Week

Rachael’s First Week is the brainchild of Angi Fiege, who lost her daughter after a fall down stairs at an off-campus party. Angi is an Indiana Emergency Medicine, Critical Care and Trauma ICU Physician. More importantly, she is Rachael’s mom and the woman behind the mission to educate students how to react within the first few precious minutes after a trauma. Wearing her heart on her sleeve, she shares her heartache with thousands of young people each year with the hope of changing the fate of just one student. She acts as a second mom to many of Rachael’s friends who label her as Momma Fiege. Rachael’s First Week – Rachael’s First Week (rachaelsfirstweek.org)

Leslie Lanahan/The Gordie Center

Leslie Lanahan lost her beloved son Gordie due to a tragic hazing incident, occurring just three weeks into his freshman year at the University of Colorado Boulder. Leslie channeled her grief to become a pioneer in collectively exposing the problem and preventing the all-too-common loss caused by hazing. She launched the Gordie Foundation-which serves as the bedrock of the University of Virginia’s Gordie Center-chartered to educate about the dangers of substance abuse and hazing. Home | The Gordie Center (virginia.edu)

Gail Minger/Minger Foundation

Gail Minger has an unwavering commitment to create learning environments which are especially safe for teens and young adults within our neuro-diverse communities. After losing her 19 year-old so Michael, as a result of a horrific and preventable incident in his college dorm, Gail championed the passage of Kentucky’s Michael Minger Act, a college safety act, and established the Michael Minger Foundation. The foundation advocates to improve campus fire and life safety through education and raising public awareness. She follows a vision to create tangible environments and programs that are physically safe and personally rewarding for some of our most vulnerable and uniquely talented citizens. The Michael H. Minger Foundation: Promoting Campus Fire Safety

Kathleen Bonistall/PEACE OUTside Campus

Kathleen Cooney Bonistall, along with her family, created PEACE OUTside Campus, the Lindsey M. Bonistall Foundation after the tragic death of her daughter Lindsey in her off-campus apartment. Lindsey was just 20 year old and a journalism major at the University of Delaware when her life was cut short by a random act of violence. PEACE OUTside Campus is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advocate for safety and security standards for off-campus college communities nationwide. Kathleen’s life passion is to help reduce the risk of student victimization through positive empowerment to prevent similar tragedies from happening to other students and families. Lindsey’s legacy and message of safety has reached thousands of students and continues to highlight safety concerns for students living on and off campus. PEACE OUTside Campus – Home