On Friday, Feb 16 -- shortly after the horrific Florida school shootings -- there was an "active shooter" scare on the campus of Califorinia State University Northridge, which is where I teach.
That moring, social media was in a frenzy over posted video indicating a THREAT to the campus. Students reported to me that there were helicopters overhead and that their friends were texting them about the possibility of an "active shooter" on the grounds of the university!
We stayed calm. Most likely, this was a hoax. But there was always the chance that it wasn't. It appeared that police were taking it seriously. So we followed protocol, and secured ourselves in the soundstage (where our class takes place) by locking all of the access doors to the stage.
They say that there are no atheists in foxholes! The media is flooding the airwaves with stories about students clammering to ban all legally owned firearms. Yet, when faced with even a small possibility that this scare was real -- the majority of students in my class asked hopefully if I was armed!
(They knew that I was an expert on firearms & set safety, and students often asked advice when their scripts involved firearms.)
To their dissappointment, I indicated that I do not ever carry firearms to campus -- since that is striclty prohibited and extremely illegal.
Well, it turned out that the situation was a hoax, with no evidence that an armed person was an active threat. Of course, that is based on: a) what they are telling us; and b) that if there was a threat, that person did not simply change their mind and saunter off. Personally, I believe that it was a hoax.
What upset a lot of us who were on campus at the time is that CSUN did not send out any text alerts to faculty or students indicating that there even was a possible threat until 30-60 minutes AFTER it was already on social media! Helicopters were already ariborne (police or news?) for at least half an hour before the first official text alerts went out. I do not have an official timeline because I was not made aware of the situation until some students returned from a restroom break.
Why did it take CSUN so long to react? Why did they need to "investigate" first before notifying the faculty to be alert and cautious. If there was a threat of a fire, they set off the fire alarms and we all exit the building BEFORE the fire dept checks to see if anyting is actually burning. So why didn't they alert us to this danger, even if they thought it was most likely a hoax? Crazy people do crazy things, and the online video warning may have been real, maybe even part of an elaborate strategy (that I prefer not to discuss in public).
Would I bring a gun to class? Only if and when legally authorized to do so. I am not about to lose my (teaching) career, get arrested, and spend my retirement savings on a lawyer over my personal views about whether or not at least some teachers/staff (volunteers, background checked, trained) should be allowed to have a gun in schools in order to defend against an armed intruder.
Yes, I believe that these are new and dangerous times. This kind of stuff (massacres, terrorist bombings) did not happen in the olde days -- even when most of the rural population routinely kept guns around.When I was 6 years old, I used to travel the Phila subway and busses in and out of downtown by myself. I doubt if parents would feel comfortable letting their young children travel alone like that these days.
It is a new world, and it has gotten nasty out there. We all have alarms on our cars and around our homes; and always keep our doors locked. We travel, jog, or hike in pairs/groups. Park under the lights; carry pepper spray, and take extra precautions.
But in the meantime, let's at least allow all teachers the ability to lock their classrooms securely from the inside -- so that we do not have repeat of what happened in Florida. He went from classroom to classroom and was able to gain access. Also, let's err on the side of caution and ALERT faculty/staff immediately if there is any kind of threat or physical danger.
At least if we do get a threat alert, we will be ready to: 1) Run like hell; 2) Hide like a mouse; or 3) Throw books & chairs. I am not kidding. That is the official montra on the "feel good cat posters and instructional video" that is mandated viewing by the university of what to do in an emergency.
