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A field guide to active shootings Information that could save your life
Columbus State University | The Saber
| Sept 11, 2013
Campus Life
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Campus Life
The Saber | Columbus State University Sept 11, 2013 |
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Justin Minge
Staff Writer
e expect many things when we come to college. We expect our professors to actually teach us something, we expect the TV in the library to be playing the O’ Reilly Factor, and we expect to be able to safely attend our classes throughout the long school day. Active shooter situations are a legitimate concern for every college campus around the world. Some notable and tragic instances in which these concerns became a reality include the killing of 17 people on the University of Texas campus by Charles Whitman in 1966, and the infamous incident at Virginia Tech in 2007 when student Seung-Hui Cho shot and killed 32 people on campus. I mention these grim and horrifying examples not to scare or offend you, but only to remind you that the possibility of an active shooter situation is still a very real concern for our collective campus. While a crisis like this is always a possibility, it is by no means a certainty. There
are many forces at play on our campus that are working to prevent and, if necessary, deal with an active shooter situation. One of the more obvious ones is our University Police Department, who are constantly at the ready with special training tailored just for this specific situation. Sergeant Stenell of the University Police said, “Our police department provides a good many informational opportunities for students on our website, like our video specifically on active shooters.” Their website can be accessed from the Columbus State website. While we like to depend on our University Police Department to protect us on campus, they naturally can’t see everything that’s happening around campus. Sergeant Stenell had this to say about the subject, “It not only falls on the University police to defend against this threat, but also the students to help prevent it.” The responsibility falls on us to notice the signs that prelude an active shooter
situation, and promptly report them before it can escalate. Fortunately, there are quite a few ways to do this. One is to submit a report to our own BART, or Behavioral Assessment and Recommendation Team. These reports can be made online, and will result in a quick response to your concerns. Another is CSU’s Silent Witness program, which allows students to anonymously report online any activity that the student feels law enforcement should be aware of. While these are only a few of the tools we have as students to protect ourselves from a tragedy, the thing to remember is that it falls on us to act. In many active shooter cases, there are students who reported that they noticed signs about the perpetrator that could have prevented the catastrophe if they were told to the proper authorities. In other words, fellow students, be aware and be safe.
Other tools available for students wanting to stay safe include:
• CougarAlert- a university system that allows officials to contact you via cellphone and email whenever a crisis occurs on campus. Be sure to sign up on the Police Department website. • University Police’s phone n