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Prior research in responses to crisis and emergency messages has indicated that while the acquisition of information is critical in reducing anxiety and stress, informational needs and associated emotional reactions on the part of men and women may be quite different. This survey study revealed that responses following a campus shooting in 2008 were consistent with this research, as women expressed greater anxiety and desire for information. A ruminative coping style is offered as a possible explanation, and the results are discussed in terms of implications for emergency management.Past research indicated differences across demographic identifiers in terms of the ways in which individuals turn to mediated information in the immediate aftermath of a crisis or disaster. Information is typically thought of as an agent of stress reduction; however, some research is beginning to identify

This study extends on previous examinations of postcrisis and postemergency responses by examining social and mediated learning. The article argues that mediated learning and learning in the classroom may be particularly important after a crisis, both to ameliorate the negative emotional consequences of such events as well as to prompt the learning of information that might be important in future emergencies. Furthermore, an argument is made that the classroom can be used to facilitate postcrisis learning and this can be viewed as part of the university postcrisis response plan. Using data collected after a university shooting, the article bolsters previous research that individuals have the capacity to learn from the media in the midst of a crisis and that the classroom was underutilized as a medium for postcrisis and postemergency learning.

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the types of information that were shared by the institution, and faculty/staff responses to the information shared, with the goal of providing recommendations for other institutions facing concurrent crises.Design/methodology/approachThis mixed-methods case study examines a public university's experiences managing the Covid-19 pandemic crisis while simultaneously navigating financial challenges that had been building over time. Using data from university-wide mediated communications and a survey of on-campus stakeholders during the Covid-19 pandemic and university retrenchment process, this paper explores institutional communication, stakeholder response to organizational communication and faculty/staff reactions to information in the midst of concurrent crises.FindingsThe study found that the university used instructing and advising information within its messages from its top administrator but fell short of incorporating empathy for its stakeholders in its initial responses.Research limitations/implicationsUsing the situational crisis communication theory (Coombs, 2019), which recommends the use of an ethical base response to crises, implications are provided for other organizations facing concurrent crises during the Covid-19 pandemic, to also incorporate empathy in their messages to stakeholders whose livelihoods are being affected, across multiple platforms.Originality/valueWeathering the Covid-19 pandemic and long-term financial pitfalls have proven to be a disruptive phenomenon for higher education institutions. This research expands understanding of institutional communication and stakeholder reactions in a higher education institution facing both the Covid-19 crisis and a retrenchment.Peer reviewThe peer-review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-09-2020-0415.