Safety on campus

Students need more preparation for school shootings

ZOE MARIE ZAPANTA / ASST. OPINION EDITOR / THE USD VISTA

With the rise of gun violence across the U.S., especially in schools, people are taking more precautions than ever to ensure their safety. From the increased implementation of security cameras, panic buttons and lockdown protocols, emergency preparedness is a serious issue.  

Despite these necessary precautions, mass shootings keep happening. While USD has certain protocols in place, more needs to be done to ensure people’s safety on campus. Students shouldn’t go to school worrying if they’re going to go home at the end of the day, which is why we should assess what is in place on our campus and improve on it to better prioritize the safety of our students. 

Mass shootings are occurring more frequently. The Marshall Project, a nonprofit, online journalism organization focusing on issues related to criminal justice in the U.S., found that the U.S. has had more mass shootings in the last five years than ever before. There are many different ways to describe what constitutes a mass shooting, but The Marshall Project description states that a mass shooting is what happens when “a gunman slaughters four or more strangers in a public place.” 

According to The Washington Post, there have been approximately 377 school shootings in America since the mass shooting at Columbine High School in 1999. The most recent  one   happened  at   the end of last month. According to BBC   news, there have been at least   160  mass  shootings  across  the United States so far this year, which     is    more than the amount of days that have passed in 2023.  

Mass shootings have unfortunately accompanied us as we have grown up. They happen so often that many of us, including myself, have become desensitized. Science Direct describes desensitization as a treatment or process that diminishes emotional responsiveness to a negative, aversive or positive stimulus after repeated exposure to it. An article from Psychology Today discusses how The American Academy of Pediatrics and other reputable organizations have found that “exposure to violence at   high  levels    and across multiple    contexts has been linked with emotional desensitization, indicated by low levels of internalizing symptoms.” 

In an article from The Poly Post, the student-run newspaper at Cal Poly Pomona University, students admit to “brushing aside” gun violence especially if they only heard about situations involving it from a school wide email or briefly mentioned in the news. Many of these students also describe that they lack reaction to the effects of it, unless it happened near them. These feelings of desensitization have led students to pay less attention to gun violence when we need to pay more attention than ever. 

I recently attended a Public Safety Training on campus for my on-campus job. In this training, I learned about protocols that are already in place to keep us safe. The training went over what the protocols entail, how they go into action, as well as how to respond. But the training session and the increased crime on and off campus left me with additional questions about what to do. How do I know how to physically respond besides watching a video or reading about it? Is campus as safe as it presents itself to be? These questions have left certain practices to be desired and implemented on campus. 

My first concern with USD was that there are not regular, large-scale school-shooting drills being practiced by students. Lockdown drills allow for maximum safety in the event of a real life scenario. They provide students with an opportunity to practice skills like barricading doors and finding hiding places in the classroom, and these skills can be the difference between life and death. These types of drills were a regular practice for me in high school but not in college. Fire drills happen quite frequently on campus, so executing drills is not new to USD.  

Another concern of mine is the fact that USD is an open campus. Having an open campus allows for anybody to come and go as they please. On top of this, there is a lack of security at entrances to prevent access to the university. Stationing more security officers at these locations would deter people who would not follow the proper procedures from entering campus. Promoting school safety creates a space where students can grow and learn comfortably and would decrease feelings of anxiousness associated with coming to school. 

Because of these concerns, I reached out to Sergeant Ryan Hansen of USD Public Safety, who led the training session I attended. After initially requesting an interview with him and receiving confirmation that he would answer them, I sent my questions to him directly, but received responses from Elena Gomez of USD Press.  

Gomez explained why active shooter drills are not as commonplace as fire drills that take place at certain campus locations. 

“USD has an emergency operations center (EOC) on campus that is staffed by various personnel from most divisions across campus. The purpose of the EOC is to practice all types of emergency preparedness situations, including active shooter (which we have done). While DPS does offer active shooter training for students, full-scale active shooter scenarios are complex issues and can be emotionally and mentally taxing for participants,” Gomez explained.  

“And, as mentioned above, public safety is offering active shooter training this semester with two sessions coming up on April 18 and May 2. In addition, an active shooter training video is also available on Public Safety’s website. Over the years, USD has done full-scale active shooter scenarios on campus. Like most universities, full-scale exercises are usually done during summer break or winter session. There are opportunities for students to volunteer, and it is usually an all-day event.” 

Gomez also explained that alongside numerous technologies already in place, frequent public safety training sessions occur on a routine basis.

“All DPS officers are also trained in active shooter response and protocols and completed their last training in January 2023. USD also works with various local, State, and Federal agencies to ensure ongoing community safety information. Active shooter training is provided during new employee orientation and is also available year-round by request.”

This information, the training I attended and the school’s website demonstrates that USD takes this issue very seriously. But I still think that more can be done. 

If the protocols already in place were at their maximum efficiency, myself and other students would know what to do in an emergency situation on campus, beyond the universal steps of ‘Run. Hide. Fight.’ There are     videos    on    the school website  that detail this, but since those videos can be overlooked by staff and students. Mandatory viewing of those modules would be   beneficial in making a difference in saving lives.  This   training  would be more effective  if   we   not   only    knew where to find videos of what to do, but if we were practicing those protocols ourselves.

 Press also mentioned that full-scale  exercises are usually done  during summer or winter   break  rather than the regular school term, due to the emotional nature of drills. The effectiveness of these exercises could be improved by holding them during the semester, when students are actually on campus attending classes. Though these exercises can be heavy emotionally, having them during the school year allows more students to physically practice what they would do, instead of just thinking about it. While this could   potentially be emotionally  upsetting, preparing for a shooting is arguably less traumatic than experiencing one and not knowing   what to do. Ultimately,   having  required    practices   for  as   many people as  possible   allows as   much preparation as possible.  

Gomez  made sure to point out  in her response, “Our campus is open to the public for those who follow proper protocols while on campus.” An open   campus invites   general public visitors as well as the campus community to come   and  go   as   they  please from the property. Just    before Easter break, however, the suspect in   an   assault   incident   nearby  gained   access   to campus before   they   were   brought   into     custody. By    implementing   more  physical  security  measures at   entrances,  it  would make a     difference   in    how  accessible   our   campus   is to   the      people    that   do   not   intend to follow   the   proper  procedures. 

Much of what I learned is   available  on the   school’s website under ‘Public Safety.’ The   website   has  most   of   what    we   need  to   know   about crime prevention, incident reporting and emergency      preparedness. These   sections   are    also provided with videos going in more  detail about how to proceed. 

By implementing more security, ma modules and full-scale practices during the regular school session, USD would be making the right decision to better prioritize safety on campus.