The lack of students, staff, and faculty on campus during break didn’t prevent police and emergency personnel from practicing safety. On Jan. 5, at approximately 9:25 am, an “active shooter” simulation took place on UNC Charlotte’s campus. According to the UNC Charlotte news release, police and emergency personnel rushed across the UNC Charlotte campus to confront two fake gunmen “who had opened fire in a classroom building before one of them took several hostages.”Following a directive from UNC system President Erskine Bowles, all UNC institutions must conduct this type of drill this school year.
The simulation was deemed a success; “we did a lot of things very well,” said Chancellor Dubois. In the years since the shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University, taking precautions such as these has become a pertinent part of school safety.
It is extremely important to be cautious on school campuses across the country. The point of this simulation was to prepare UNC Charlotte for an ‘active shooter,’ were one ever to emerge on campus. Staging it during winter break prepared those who participated in the drill, but what about everyone else? Wouldn’t it be more effective if students, staff, and faculty were actually on campus when it happened?
The simulation took place over break to ‘minimize confusion.’ That’s understandable; it would create confusion all over UNC Charlotte’s campus if the precaution were to happen during when classes are in session. On the other hand, it will be just as confusing if it actually does happen and we don’t know how to react. Reading instructions, would not be as effective as witnessing it and learning how to react. Reading about what happened can educate us, but the best way to learn is to experience it.
It is critical to know what to do in those situations; to better educate the university’s population, the drill should have taken place during the semester instead. It would have been more confusing, It would have created traffic problems and, possibly, panic for those who didn’t know what was occurring.
At the same time, UNC Charlotte’s population would have been better educated on how to be safe and prepared in dangerous situations. The simulation involved numerous state and local law enforcement, fire and rescue personnel. In the event of any danger, we are well protected by many different outlets; however, next time UNC Charlotte conducts a simulation like this, the experience and knowledge could be worth the confusion.
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