Most universities have some type of emergency plan for a fire or earthquake. Officials at various universities organize drills each semester to make sure that students, faculty and staff know how to react to an emergency while on campus.
But after Monday’s shootings at Virginia Tech, many complained that officials did not respond quickly enough to the gunman who killed and injured more than a dozen students. But how can a university prepare for such a disaster? Well, they can’t.
I realize that the incident needed the utmost attention. Because we cannot afford to send a reporter to Virginia to cover it, the best thing we as a campus newspaper can do is localize the story. As a result, the Daily Forty-Niner covered several issues, including resources the university has to either prevent or deal with emergencies, such as a fire, earthquake or shooting.
But as I read the story, I realized the resources that Cal State Long Beach has are not enough, as the university plans to send e-mails alerting the university community of an emergency and leave voice messages on campus phone lines to notify faculty and students. But what about those students who do not live on campus and do not have access to a computer to check their e-mails?
The hotline may be helpful, but if someone has a gun pointed at her or sees a gunman shooting people randomly, she wouldn’t call the hotline to find out what to do or where to go. Most likely, a person’s first instinct would be to run and hide.
I know university officials are responsible for anything and everything that occurs at CSULB, because they are to protect students, faculty and staff from any events or incidents that may harm the campus community. University officials know they must have some sort of plan for any type of situation – from events to meetings to emergencies. But they can only do so much.
Money plays a major role in improving campus safety, but the university should focus more on better communication. Besides contacting the community through voicemails, hotlines and e-mails, and having a Mobile Command Center on campus, the university should find a way to notify a student or faculty member on his or her cell phone about an emergency occurring on campus.
With this system, more people will know about the incident, and they will most likely save their own lives. University officials should also consider campus intercoms for the community to contact each other during a disaster. Again, I know it could be expensive, but it would be extremely helpful.
Largely, university officials should receive credit for attempting to inform the university of its resources for emergencies, and the entire campus community appreciates their efforts. But like University Relations officer Toni Beron said, “All the different means of communication are important because I don’t know what circumstances will be presented in an emergency.”
It’s nearly impossible to prepare for shootings as drastic as Virginia Tech’s, and the only thing university officials at CSULB and the rest of the campus community could do best is to pray and communicate with one another to keep each other safe.
Starr T. Balmer is a senior journalism major and the editor in chief for the Daily Forty-Niner.
