What if there was a school shooting on campus? There was. In 1996, Jillian Robbins opened fire on the HUB lawn with a high-powered military rifle, injuring one student and killing another. I reference this tragic page in our history to underscore that the phrase, "It could happen here" merits extra concern because it has happened here.
Some students in my classes have complained about the lack of a clear emergency plan. I echo their sentiment. Aside from PSUTXT, to which not everyone subscribes, how would students, faculty and residents be notified in the event of an attack? Furthermore, once notified, what procedures should we follow and how do we perform them? Public address systems, electronic signage, and Facebook groups for emergency notifications are just a few of the safeguards in place at some other schools that we could implement.
We need an open discussion of what we can do to bolster our emergency response and procedure at Penn State. Therefore, I call on Graham Spanier to make the Penn State community aware of the emergency plan in place and I urge students, faculty and residents to offer suggestions to enhance our security on and around campus. Although we can't prevent all possible attacks, we need to be better prepared in case a shooting occurs at Penn State, again.
Peter Miraldi
instructor, communication arts and sciences
