The annual Zombie Preparedness Festival, hosted by Campus Safety outside Notre Dame Stadium on October 3, was a hit in its second year. Hundreds of faculty, staff, and students turned out to visit booths with safety information, take part in demonstrations, and see some of their favorite members of the campus community transformed into zombies. This year, Rev. Pete McCormick, C.S.C., assistant vice president of campus ministry, and Rev. Nate Wills, C.S.C., director of the Alliance for Catholic Education’s Blended Learning Initiatives, volunteered to be made up into more spooky versions of themselves.
Booths included the Notre Dame Police Department, including the K-9 unit and drone operators; the Notre Dame Fire Department; Risk Management featuring lab safety; the Office of Information Technology on cybersecurity; Campus Dining; Notre Dame Global featuring travel safety; and Sustainability. Visit South Bend Mishawaka, St. Joseph County Emergency Management Agency, South Bend Police Department, American Red Cross, and other community businesses and organizations also took part.
Faculty, staff, and students could learn how to use a fire extinguisher and an AED device and practice CPR and first aid basics.
“It’s exciting to see so much interest in emergency preparedness,” said Tracy Skibins, senior director of emergency management and global safety and security. “When we’re all as prepared as possible for emergency situations, we’re helping keep our whole campus and each other safe.”
Check out a highlight video from this year’s Zombie Preparedness Festival produced by Notre Dame students.
The festival also featured free food, giveaways, and prizes, including gift cards, parking passes, football tickets, a stay at the Morris Inn, and a Marcus Freeman–signed football. Attendees who filled their punch cards after visiting six or more booths were entered into a drawing to win prizes.
Winners include:
Brittany Clark, Modern Market
Ashini Kaushik, student
Bart Loeb, OIT
Kathleen Moran, Alliance for Catholic Education
Shayne Rassi, Custodial Services
Dyana Sanchez, student
Katie Shapiro, student
Kiara Taylor, student
Originally published by at ndworks.nd.edu on October 28, 2024.