Two days ago, the university I graduated from was put on high alert; a call was made about an active shooter inside the university library. From what I heard, students were rushing to get to safety, and fear had set in for many of them.
For just a couple of hours, students were uncertain about everything: their lives, hopes, dreams, and futures.
Can you imagine going from stressing about your homework for your next class period to panicking for your safety?
All of it would’ve been gone in an instant for just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Fortunately, there was no active shooter. A call was made that triggered a false alarm and enabled hundreds of police officers to surround the building that was said to house the shooter.
They found nothing.
And yet, a thought from this experience lingers in my mind: even if there was no actual threat, there was still a type of threat.
The shooter may not have been real, but the fear that resulted from it is.
When we can’t distinguish between what’s real and what’s fake on a moment’s notice, it’s our feelings that become prioritized. There’s not enough time to think— just enough to feel.
Students should not have to feel afraid when attending classes or studying. Students should feel hope and curiosity; they should have a sense of wonder about the possibilities of life, not dread the impossibility of living.
I wonder how a nation that has become equipped with various resources to provide support and protection for its people can allow such threats to persist without having made swift changes yet.
What conditions must be altered for a system to effectively protect the innocent and deter the perpetrator? What stories must be shared so that people of all backgrounds can understand the harm that’s happening? What small acts can we encourage an individual to do so that they feel like they’re contributing to a safer tomorrow?
I don’t have the answers. But my hope is that by sharing my concerns and thinking out loud, someone can learn from this and take a stance that benefits everyone.
I hope that the fear carried by students subsides and that they can return to their education without worrying about their safety.
Students deserve to chase knowledge, not flee from fear. And it’s on us to make that possible.