VA Tech Shootings

[logisticslad]

This event disrupts the illusion of safety that we take with us to go to work every day. Who knew that being a professor was such hazardous work? I'm still deeply upset by this event and how the media has been portraying it. Drexel's President issued an email statement today expressing his condolences and reminding us that we actually have a procedure in place to deal with such tragedies. The page and a half document basically boils down to the following advice: If you can - Run, If you can't - Hide, If it looks like you can do it safely then - Call 911.

Comments

[cuddlebunni3.livejournal.com]

Babe... it's disrupted all our delusions of safety on college campuses. Left me asking myself "what would I have done?" "Would I have tried to protect my class or save myself?"... I don't know the answer to that. Also, given the physical openness of most college campuses...how does one secure a campus? The whole thing is just disturbing.

[circesbed.livejournal.com]

Who knew that being a professor was such hazardous work?

My mother - a retired high school teacher - had a very similar reaction the day of the Columbine shooting. And she worked in an inner city high school that was half Bloods and half Crips.

Drexel's President issued an email statement today

I love that email. I especially like the part where he specifies you should run AWAY from the danger.

[mollyquasar.livejournal.com]

I posted about this elsewhere. The thing is that we're not really safe anywhere and I'm not sure we can make ourselves safer without being in a permanent lockdown mode, which we're not societally set up for in the first place.

I like Taki's advice, but it turns "You can run but you can't hide" on its ear.

[logisticslad.livejournal.com]

That it does, that it does. After reading Taki's email, I didn't know whether to feel more comfortable because we had a procedure or less because someone had already thought that it might occur. Drexel is a city campus, and even though I'm based at the med school campus, things can happen. Temple deals pretty well by actively policing its campus and heading off a number of problems before they can occur. I prefer that response to metal detectors and lockdown mentality.

One of my friends posted a letter from a rabbi that helped me put all this in better perspective

http://njslutmuffin.livejournal.com/218352.html

[mollyquasar.livejournal.com]

I read that last line a little too fast and I wondered about a rabbi named slutmuffin. Then I got it. That's a good article.

Temple does do a good job. I go there (in fact I'm there right now) and I've had to deal with the police a couple of times and they were great, prompt, together. I remember Penn also doing a good job when I worked there. Maybe it feels different when there are several campuses. I'm sure Drexel does a good job b/c there's too much on the line in Taki's vision to have anything left to chance, I think.