By Marisa RussellNews Editor
The growing issue of gun violence on college campuses has caused many universities to increase training, security and information resources to prevent and prepare for a dangerous situation if it were to occur. According to The Washington Post, as of Aug. 26 the United States had averaged over one mass shooting per day throughout 2015.
On Friday Oct. 16 Hofstra University sent out an email addressing the several active shooter incidents on college campuses, according to Karen O’Callaghan, director of Public Safety. The email stated in part, “Hofstra is saddened by these events and remains vigilant about ensuring the safety of our campus community.”
O’Callaghan said, in response to addressing students and the community with the email, “We just wanted to put out there, we are prepared, Public Safety is prepared, law enforcement is prepared to respond.”
According to a Generation Progress study published in March 2015, “Campuses and Guns: A Multilateral Approach to Gun Violence Prevention,” “gunmen have killed 30 people in mass campus shootings since the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007.” With the growth of violence, O’Callaghan said, “In your chances of surviving a tragic situation like that, even though the likelihood of one occurring on campus is slight, preparation and awareness of surroundings are the two keys that will help us get through active shooter situations if we ever found ourselves in one.”
Public Safety trains the community using the “Run, Hide, Fight” theory that is put out by the Department of Homeland Security. The theory is depicted in a video and was used in a resident assistant (RA) training that occurred on Oct. 20.
A third-year RA in the Netherlands Complex, senior film major Ryan Nelson, explained the RA training. “We watched an informational video and had a brief discussion. That was the extent of it,” he said.
The theory dictates the order of responses in which someone should react to an active shooter situation and encourages someone to run first, hide (in a safe shelter) second and if the first two options are not available to you, fight last, if possible.
O’Callaghan said students should be aware of what to do when evacuating. “Unless you are involved within the building where the shooting is occurring [evacuating is] lesson one, get to safety, call 911,” she said.
According to O’Callaghan the Nassau County Police Department adjusts their training each time a mass shooting occurs, because of how different every situation is. The training is meant to provide the community with possible procedures, but Nelson emphasized that procedures will differ based on circumstances. He said, “People would handle it differently depending on how they handle crisis situations. Some people would run and some people would hide.”
O’Callaghan emphasized that the most important thing to be aware of is knowing that Hofstra has a no-firearms policy and therefore no public safety officers carry a weapon – which means that law enforcement is responsible for handling an active shooter situation and calling 911 is necessary.
“In law enforcement, the number one priority is to take out the shooter, eliminate the risk,” she said. “We also need everybody else’s assistance to understand what to expect when the police arrive. That if you might be injured they might step over you if they still hear shooting going on because the first thing is to get them out, but also for them to know that somebody’s coming up right behind them who are trained paramedics to get the injured out. They may yell, they may not be in uniform.”
With the training of RAs, public safety officers and even faculty, O’Callaghan hopes that these individuals will be of assistance to direct other students in this situation if it were to happen.
“I think the faculty are important to this because I know students will look to them for direction, so we’re trying to get more training out to faculty,” O’Callaghan said.
Sara Whitman, sophomore journalism major, said that students aren’t directly prepared for a shooting, but she feels students would react to a situation with instinct. She said, “I do have trust in the Public Safety at Hofstra and I believe they are equipped to handle a situation like that, if it were to occur.”
Nelson stated that while students aren’t necessarily trained with specific step-by-step procedures, it’s important for Hofstra to discuss the issue. “What I do think is important is not to brush the subject under the rug, since it is such a sensitive subject,” he said. “I feel that Hofstra should have more info sessions on what to do in such a situation, not because I feel that people need to be educated on what to do in that situation, but to remind students that it can happen.”
O’Callaghan mentioned that preparing for these situations is crucial, with the understanding that although the possibility of one occurring is slim, they can happen. She said, “Be prepared, that’s the best. It increases your chances of survival if that were to occur.”