With the shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University fresh in mind, many colleges are instituting security methods to protect the campus community.
Nobody is the pointing finger at any scapegoat in these situations, but we feel that Universities have a responsibility to protect their students.
Officials at Florida A&M University are taking steps in this regard with the e2Campus system.
E2Campus alert is the first method of notification the University uses to inform the FAMU community of any emergency.
Individuals interested in signing up for campus alerts can do so by visiting http://www.e2campus.com/my/famu/index.htm.
The University, along with Cobb Middle School, is becoming involved in Operation School Safety on Monday from 8 a.m. to noon.
The North Florida Regional Domestic Security Task Force will conduct a four-hour, full-scale security exercise.
There will be an increased presence of law enforcement and emergency medical services.
Aircraft and other response agency personnel will be surrounding the Cobb middle school and FAMU areas, according to the OSS Web site.
Operation School Safety was created after the unfortunate Virginia Tech massacre in 2007. This event created a debate about schools increasing their measures to ensure safety.
Putting these types of preventions into action will better equip the staff, faculty and students at FAMU with the tools and intelligence to prevent gun violence.
It’s important create a plan to respond to these situations.
It’s good that FAMU and other universities are preparing for the worst to ensure the safety of faculty, staff and students.
Gun control is necessary so that Americans will not have to witness incidents like those of Virginia Tech and NIU.
One good thing came out of these tragedies. FAMU will be proactive in ensuring the safety of its students.
Priscilla Blow for the Editorial Board.