College Disaster Response

The shooting at Northern Illinois University is the latest shooting to occur on an American college campus. Despite a rapid response from university police, five people were shot and killed. Colleges are an especially challenging environment in which to create a safe and secure environment as campuses are by designed to have an open architecture, encouraging the college populace as well as visitors to come and go as they please. High schools and elementary schools by comparison routinely lock the doors after the school day begins and strictly control entry of individuals into the school. Many elementary schools have enclosed playgrounds to prevent strangers from coming on to school grounds during recess. College campuses by comparison are unable to implement such security measures.

The Northern Illinois University Police had revamped their security plans in light of the shootings last year at Virginia Tech yet the shooter was still able to come on to campus and commit murder. The nature of colleges, with students and faculty coming and going at all hours, makes it impossible to establish any type of entry control procedures. Most universities and colleges have numerous research facilities that are used by college students as well as local industrial and scientific personnel. Ordinary citizens may use college libraries. Faculty on sabbatical may still come to their offices to conduct research or simply read their mail. College alums come on to campus to visit former professors, conduct research, attend college functions, or simply to visit. A student scene walking around campus could be in any number of different statuses; currently enrolled, co-op, student teaching, on break, dropped out, former student, etc. University and college police do not have the manpower and resources to check on every single person walking around campus.

The shootings at Northern Illinois demonstrates another limitation of university police departments; they can only react AFTER a shooter or other violent criminal has been identified. No one knew the intentions of the shooter at Northern Illinois (other than the shooter himself) until he first opened fire. By then, it was already too late for his victims regardless of the speed with which the university police responded. Once he started shooting, the best the university could do was to mitigate the amount of violence the gunmen would be able to commit. The media has been reporting the shooter has mental health issues and had not been taking his medication over the last several weeks. To the general public, it may seem like someone should have reported this information to the college or local authorities. However, medical conditions are highly protected pieces of information covered by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA). Even when severe mental conditions are known, a patient’s condition cannot be shared (even amongst faculty).

The Northern Illinois University case also illustrates another disturbing trait, a person commits murder who did not have a previous history of violence. There was no indication he would be prone to commit violence and he was able to purchase the shotgun and handgun used during the shootings. Colleges and universities need to understand that violence can happen any time, any place with no warning!

If campus police departments are unable to provide protection, as both Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois demonstrates, then to whom does the onus of protection fall on? The first thought may be the faculty teaching the course but this misses the mark for at least two reasons. First, the faculty is busy focusing on the lecture and may be moving around the lecture hall. He or she may not be away from phones or panic buttons to alert the campus police. Second, the faculty may be the target of the attack (as occurred here locally in Portsmouth, Ohio last week). The onus has to fall with the students. Students have to be part of the college’s emergency response plan. Students need to understand how to respond in the event of a hostage or shooting. They need to know how to recognize a potential violent situation and when to take cover. Unlike with elementary or high school students, college students are (for the most part) adults and should have a more active role in insuring their own safety. College students need to know how to contact the campus police, secure their classrooms, respond during a violent confrontation, or who to speak with if they suspect another student of becoming unstable. Students, even more than faculty, are the ones most likely to know of a student (or former student) that has become unstable or expressed an intent to commit violence.

The shootings at both Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois involved former students but this shouldn’t be the only scenario discussed. Angry current or former employees of the college may commit violence. Last week in Portsmouth, Ohio and estranged husband shot his wife in front of her fifth grade class. Details are still coming out about the case but it illustrates that anyone can come on to the grounds of a school or college campus and commit violence. Students, faculty and staff all need to have the training and knowledge on what to do under such circumstances. Think back to grade school and how every month or so there was fire drill just so students would know what to do and not panic during a fire. When was the last time a college practiced an “active shooter” or “hostage situation” drill? Most colleges and universities have revamped their emergency response plans over the last year but when was the last time an actually conducted a drill to evaluate their procedures?

There is no one solution to prevent these type of heinous crimes from happening on our college campuses in the future. The best approach is one of preparedness and training for our students and faculty.