On Wednesday, University Police received a call concerning a man in his 20's, wearing a baseball cap, suspected to have a rifle in tow wrapped under his coat in Hayes Hall on South Campus.
After e-mail alerts went out warning students going to classes or residing on South Campus, Main Street was flooded with police presence, combing the area in search of the possible suspect. Resident Advisers were readily available to assist residents and provide information. Residents and students were given the necessary information needed to remain safe, and used caution while traveling about the campus.
Or not.
In light of the recent Virginia Tech tragedy, one might think this would be the logical response of UB officials ?N a "better safe than sorry" approach to gun control and safety on campus.
Instead, UB officials elected to send out an e-mail approximately one hour after the incident occurred, stating that there was the possibility a rifle carrying youth on South Campus, and residents should exercise caution.
From my fourth floor lair on South, however, there was no increase police presence evident in the spanning view from my window to the Health and Sciences Library.
No increased security greeted me at the door or patrolled the halls as I proceeded to class in Kimball Hall.
There was no increased guard the campus as a whole.
No Residence Hall staff members provided any information as to whether we were at risk for meeting an untimely demise after a face-to-face encounter with the wrong end of a firearm.
Canceling classes, shutting down South Campus (and North if you're really feeling enthusiastic) and putting dorm residents on a lock down until the situation is resolved might have been a bit of an overreaction. In light of recent events, conversely, how cautious is too cautious? Are we to just assume every incident where someone "might" have a gun on a school campus should be written off as a fabrication, or an erroneous sighting by a witness?
Let's just wait until someone is shot point blank with no warning before we do anything about it. Perhaps it was just a student going after those damn geese.
When universities fail to give their students the timeliness of warnings, as well as to increase safety measures, the risk of violence ensuing only persists.
As of Thursday afternoon, University Police released a statement declaring that, though a suspect was never apprehended, nor the actual possession of a weapon by this man in any way established, the help of students who call in sightings like this is greatly appreciated, and exactly what the community should be doing.
UB need not evoke chaos and panic throughout the student body by shutting down the campus: a little bit of increased security, would just be nice. Perhaps a little indication that if the mysterious man with a gun were to reappear, we could avoid being slaughtered.
Every threat should be greeted with at least the possibility that students might be in danger. A prompt e-mail simply isn't enough to make students feel safe.
Where is the camera footage of this suspected man traveling about South Campus, either with his sniper rifle or a piece of wood for an architecture project?
Why are the police nowhere to be found?
As gunshots ring through dormitories and lecture halls with little warning to students, despite common knowledge of a pistol-packing lunatic possibly on the loose, why are students left to take up arms in their own defense?
Now, UB officials, it is time to fortify your end of the defense strategy into an actual plan of action. If only for the reason that, if this unknown man possibly carrying a weapon opened fire on the grounds of South Campus, the consequence would be yet another tragedy that could have been prevented.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
