CSB+SJU should be more prepared for gun violence
This is the opinion of Sarah d’Uscio CSB Sophomore and Op-Ed Editor of The Record
“Run, hide, fight”… but where?
In light of the recent increase in gun violence across the country, I’ve found myself thinking more seriously about how unprepared we may be in the event of an active shooter situation here at St. Ben’s or St. John’s.
In a close-knit community like St. Ben’s and St. John’s, it’s easy to feel that something awful would never happen here. But I don’t say this to scare anyone; I say it because bad things can happen anywhere. And when that’s the case, we need to start asking more complex questions about how prepared we are.
To my knowledge, we’ve never had any drills, training or conversations about what to do if this emergency occurs. The only resource I’ve seen is the emergency flip book posted in each room, which isn’t practical in a real-time crisis. Who is realistically going to stop and read a booklet during an emergency?
In fact, this book of emergencies gives you the basic information we were taught in high school and middle school—nothing specific about our campuses—“run, hide, and fight.”
Nothing in that book is tailored to our campuses, buildings, or people.
How do we know what spaces are safe versus those that aren’t?
What does ‘hiding’ look like in a classroom with all windows?
What if you are outside?
What if you’re on the link?
Are professors and RAs trained to know what to do?
A book of emergencies by every door is not enough; we need a real plan tailored to our school and its unique attributes. Not only should we have our own plan, but we should also learn about it in college success when we are freshmen. We should have drills at the beginning of every school year and tailored instructions for our campuses.
The University of Minnesota is a much bigger school. According to their website, it has an active threat online training program and a way to request an active shooter presentation. Though it should also do more to prepare for a situation like this, it is still more than what CSB+SJU is doing currently.
We deserve to feel safe on our own campus. And right now, many of us don’t even know what safety would look like in a real emergency. That needs to change.