Take down university violence

As a recent college graduate, looking back on my four years of indentured servitude, I can recall many stressors that contributed to numerous sleepless nights and frequent migraines. I guess that’s par for the course. After all, those hours of hard work preparing for exams and straining to complete a 15-page research paper you just started yesterday only make the reward of graduating that much sweeter. To say that you survived college unscathed is quite an achievement.

However, in the stormy climate of higher education today, it is not so much surviving anatomy and physiology that haunts the minds of American students. Increasingly, college students are facing the harsh reality that they are putting their personal safety at risk just by stepping foot inside the student union. The April 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University that occurred earlier this year are slowly but surely bringing college violence closer to home.

What is the actual problem?

Gun control has always been a hotbed of controversial debates. Since most school massacres involve firearms, many blame the constitutional right to gun ownership for the rise in violent crime. Just this month, a librarian at Northeast Lakeview College in San Antonio was shot by a co-worker at the college library. Authorities say the gunman shot and killed 37-year-old Devin Zimmerman, then sat and waited to be arrested. The students were in the library at the time of the shooting, but no one was injured. The police eventually evacuated the building.

The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence reports that every day, more than 80 Americans are killed as a result of gunshots. Additionally, the US Department of Justice reported that only 2% of all gun crimes that occurred between 2000 and 2002 were prosecuted. Law enforcement agencies frequently ignore laws, including the sale to minors and possession of a firearm in a school zone. To sum up, among the many concerns associated with gun ownership, guns fall quickly and easily into the wrong hands and little is being done to prevent it.

The solution?

It could arguably take years of hard work to even make a dent in reversing the constitutional right to own a firearm. Instead, the focus turns to universities. In August, Illinois Gov. Rod D. Blagojevich signed into law the Campus Safety Improvement Act. This new law will require all universities in the state to develop and practice an emergency response plan in conjunction with local emergency response agencies and mental health providers.

During the investigation of the Virginia Tech shootings, university authorities were criticized for their slow and careless response to the shootings after failing to shut down the university after the first two shootings. Authorities at the time believed it was either an isolated incident or that the shooter had fled campus. Two and a half hours later, the massacre continued, ultimately leaving 33 dead.

Beginning January 1, 2009, all Illinois higher education institutions will be required to develop an emergency response plan as well as a multi-jurisdictional, interdisciplinary campus violence prevention plan to avoid a Virginia Tech-like situation. State and local administration officials will help with operations development and training. Another requirement involves the creation of a university threat assessment team and a violence prevention committee. Blagojevich is also pushing for the approval of the Campus Safety Improvement Grant Program. The $25 million plan would provide funding for campus security response and violence prevention training programs, projects to improve emergency communications, and implementation of campus-wide training programs.

“This new law sets Illinois apart in our efforts to ensure students and faculty on college campuses are as safe as possible,” Blagojevich said.

With any hope, Governor Blagojevich’s efforts will gain national attention and similar legislation will follow across the country. As tragically shown in the Virginia Tech case, many lives could have been saved if a proper emergency procedure had been implemented. Universities need an efficient system that is prepared to handle a wide variety of emergency situations to ensure the safety of their students. No one should have to fear for their life, especially when they are taking every opportunity to improve their life by going to school.