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College Murders Focus Attention on Safety
by
findingDulcinea Staff
Campus safety is a big concern after the murders of three college students in less than a week, leading universities to step up security efforts.
30-Second Summary
Students, parents and faculty are once again worried about the safety of college campuses after the recent murders of three students from Alabama’s Auburn University, the University of North Carolina and the University of Arkansas.
Even though the latest figures show that crime on campuses has declined, students are still on edge, especially after the deadly shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois.
Department of Justice numbers show the campus crime rate actually declined over a 10-year period, but those numbers only go up to 2004, before 32 people were killed at Virginia Tech in 2007.
Whether or not campus violence is on the rise, students and parents alike are taking precautions.
In the wake of the recent murders, some campuses are reminding students of safety features, such as late-night ride services. Auburn has increased its campus police presence, and UNC has started using a new emergency text messaging system since the murder last week.
University violence has also reinvigorated advocates on both sides of the gun control debate. Although some, such as writer John Farr, are calling for tighter restrictions, others, such as the nonprofit student organization called Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, argue that students should be able top protect themselves by carrying firearms on campus.
Even though the latest figures show that crime on campuses has declined, students are still on edge, especially after the deadly shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois.
Department of Justice numbers show the campus crime rate actually declined over a 10-year period, but those numbers only go up to 2004, before 32 people were killed at Virginia Tech in 2007.
Whether or not campus violence is on the rise, students and parents alike are taking precautions.
In the wake of the recent murders, some campuses are reminding students of safety features, such as late-night ride services. Auburn has increased its campus police presence, and UNC has started using a new emergency text messaging system since the murder last week.
University violence has also reinvigorated advocates on both sides of the gun control debate. Although some, such as writer John Farr, are calling for tighter restrictions, others, such as the nonprofit student organization called Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, argue that students should be able top protect themselves by carrying firearms on campus.
Headline Link: ‘Students Careful After String of Campus Killings’
Some college campuses are stepping up safety precautions following the murders of three college students on Southern campuses. Lauren Burk, of Auburn University, and Eve Carson, the student body president at the University of Carolina at Chapel Hill, were both found murdered last week. And this week, University of Arkansas student Katharine Wood’s body was found at an off-campus apartment building. The incidents add to the already fearful atmosphere created by the recent shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois.
Source: USA Today
Opinion & Analysis: Why do campus shootings happen?
Clint Van Zandt, a former FBI agent and hostage negotiator, explores the reasons killers commit both mass shootings and single homicides. The number of reported serious psychological disorders is up to 18 percent for 18 to 22 year olds enrolled in college, and Van Zandt says administrators, law enforcement officials and mental health practitioners need to start working closely with those students and their families.
Source: MSNBC
The issue of gun control
“How many acts of gun violence among our young people (not to mention all others) need to happen before our representatives in Washington summon up the resolve to act?” asks John Farr in a video and article on his Huffington Post blog. Farr contends that better gun control laws are the key to curbing violent crimes on campuses, arguing that “the phrase in our constitution concerning ‘the right to bear arms’ is absurdly out-of-date, and should be amended.”
Source: The Huffington Post
A nonprofit student organization called Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, which has 12,000 members nationwide, believes licensed gun owners should be able to carry guns on campus. W. Scott Lewis, a spokesman for the group, told Newsweek that armed students could decrease the number of future campus shootings: “If a few of these people who attempted this walked through the door with guns drawn and got shot down before they could do much damage, I think a lot of them would start to lose interest.”
Source: Newsweek
Related Topic: The problem with securing college campuses
In April 2007, Time magazine explored the potential for making college campuses safer. After the Columbine shooting, some high schools went so far as to install metal detectors, but college campuses aren’t likely to follow suit. “Unlike most elementary and high schools, college campuses are almost by design too sprawling to cordon off. Their layouts have long been intended to reflect higher education's free flow of ideas, and such philosophical openness makes adding metal detectors not only undesirable but also logistically impossible,” Time writes.
Source: Time
Background: Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois
The Virginia Tech shootings in April 2007 prompted questions about how to improve campus safety, including how to spot warning signs in troubled students, and how to better alert students of an emergency. The Christian Science Monitor wrote shortly after the shooting that “lawmakers and college administrators would be remiss if they did not see Virginia Tech as an opportunity to reexamine issues and policies—especially in three key areas: troubled students, campus safety, and gun violence.”
Source: The Christian Science Monitor
Six people died at Northern Illinois University in February when former student Stephen Kazmierczak opened fire with a shotgun and two handguns during an oceanography class. He killed five students and wounded 16 more before turning the gun on himself. Students were notified about the incident shortly after the shooting took place via the university Web site.
Source: The Chicago Tribune
Reference: Campus safety tips and statistics
Marietta College in Ohio provides a comprehensive list of campus safety tips that can be applied to students on most college campuses: “Wherever you are, stay alert and tuned in to your surroundings … Familiarize yourself with the location of emergency telephones” and stay in busy, well-lit areas.
Source: Marietta College
The U.S. Department of Education provides a Web page dedicated to campus security, including crime data and a handbook for reporting campus crime.
Source: U.S. Department of Education
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