Purdue University North Central's athletic department continues to grow. Along with their growth come concerns about safety. Today, PNC took another step forward in ensuring a safe environment for their athletes. The Coaches, with the aide of the athletic trainer, purchased an AED.

The AED or Automated External Defibrillator is used when a person suffers a cardiac event like a heart attack. The defibrillator sends a jolt of electricity through the victim's body to “re-start” their heart.

“This is something we have needed for a long time”, stated athletic trainer Doug Cassell. “It really makes me feel good to see the coaches come together and dip into their own accounts for a great cause. Just having the AED makes our student athletes and our fans safer.”

Since PNC only has a baseball field on campus at this time, the AED will stay with the athletic trainer as he rotates to the various sigts and will be available at most practices and games.

The softball team uses Patriot Park through Michigan City's Parks and Recreation Department. The volleyball team's facility is The Courts of Northwest Indiana in Valparaiso. The basketball team's main practice sight is The Courts but play their games and have limited practices at the Civic Auditorium through La Porte's Park and Recreastion Department.

"Doug has been pushing for this for a while but we have limited resources," said Director of Athletic John Weber. "However, all of our head coaches once again stepped up to fill a void. Our softball coach Jeff Boardman was the main contributor and basketball coach Kris Schnatz, volleyball coach John Higgins and myself (baseball) all joined in to make this a reality."

"I especially want to thank Doug for doing the research and leading the way," said Weber. We are always trying to limit our risks. In fact, last year all of our coaches became CPR and AED certified through Doug among other steps we have taken."