On Jan. 25, Campus Safety implemented efforts towards making campus safer through launching an active shooter training course for students. It can be agreed that an active shooter on campus would be one of the worst emergencies possible, and it is an unfortunate reality, as has been displayed through the tragic history of past mass shootings not only in Colorado, but worldwide. Campus Safety requested that students watch the training video, stating, “…as a society, we’ve learned from tragedy that lives are saved when people are aware and prepared to take action for their own safety.” This video is an attempt to prepare students for the unthinkable, and though it may seem unimportant or outlandish, these measures plus any additional physical safety encouragement can only serve to help the DU community.
The almost nine-minute video is by no means Oscar worthy; however, it does give a feeling of reality to the situation of an active shooter. While the goal is to never find out how such a situation actually feels, the video addresses how and why one should either run, hide or fight. Watching the video and seeing the situation unfold, it is difficult to imagine such an event occurring at DU, yet it brings up a strong point in that students should consider their surroundings. One of the video’s messages is vigilance, not to the extreme of paranoia, but in the simple idea of knowing where you are and possibly considering how you would confront an emergency situation.
However, if Campus Safety is committed to the idea of offering training in order to help students feel safe, the physical training classes they offer should be more highly publicized. Providing the opportunity for students to take a basic self-defense session or learning how to handle an attacker could prove highly beneficial, especially in light of the recent forcible fondling attacks. Campus Safety already offers basic self-defense training classes, as well as RAD (Rape Aggression Defense or Resisting Aggression with Defense) classes for both men and women. However these classes need more emphasis and attention so students are fully aware of the measures they can take to protects themselves.
Campus Safety’s effort to prepare students should be commended on multiple levels. Their job is to make sure students are safe and comfortable while on and around campus, yet the officers can’t be everywhere at once. Being able to give students instruction on procedure and how to act until officials arrive is smart because it gives students a purpose in emergency beyond panic and fear. These measures, in theory or in practice, can’t harm students any more than the emergency situation itself.
