School shootings are plaguing college life and reeking unnecessary havoc on campuses across the country, leaving in the wake a grim reality: Universities should have practices in place to prepare for school shootings. But do they?

Unfortunately, for the Pullman campus the answer isn’t as simple as yes or no.

With school shootings becoming more common than disaster emergencies like earthquakes in Washington, tornadoes in Oklahoma or hurricanes in Florida, we need proper training in how to handle active shooters.

Right now, there isn’t a mandatory program for training in place for our students, faculty or staff.

Assistant Chief of the Washington State University Police Department Steven Hansen said about 20-30 percent of professors have taken the course offered by his department.

Courses are in-person only and are offered mostly to residence halls, ROTC, facilities and some staff if they choose to participate—and that, folks, is a big if.

The number of professors who have been trained to deal with active shooters or situational emergency training needs to be in the 90 percent range.

If you are a leader in charge of 20-200 people for hours at a time, it is your responsibility to those individuals to know what to do in case of an emergency.

“We offer about 30 or 40 courses a year, depending on demand,” Hansen said.

That number isn’t high enough.

How could WSU implement a mandatory program?

Hansen discussed a variety of options for implementation, but part of the problem is devoting resources to mandating a program.

“I would love to see our program [mandated] at orientation,” Hansen said. But he also said that can be difficult because orientation is so busy.

Scheduling can be difficult with all the programs that deliver information to students for that week, and staffing and funding are limited.

This training could be turned into a one-credit course, like CPR courses. You do it one time, pay a small fee of $5 or less, and then you are done.

If we ever find ourselves in a shooter situation, here’s what to do, according to the Department of Homeland Security and the Washington State University Police Department:

Flee: If you are in an open area, get out. Find cover immediately, somewhere out of range or eyesight of the shooter.

Hide or get inside: If you are in a classroom or office, lock the door and block it with furniture. If you are in a hallway, duck into the closest open room, then secure it.

Fight: As a last resort or if the shooter breaks into your classroom, you should engage the shooter or fight. Remember this is one of those times where you can make an active choice to possibly save those around you.

Lastly: Call 911 or emergency numbers only when you are in a safe place.

If you are trying to text or call out, keep in mind you might be preventing people from reaching the police, so do your best to stay off the phone—this includes texting. Use the campus Wi-Fi and not the cell tower.

If you would like more information, you can contact the WSU Police Department to sign up for the next class, or check its website for safety handouts.

You can also go to the Department of Homeland Security for pdfs, cards or coursework on how to respond to active shooters. For more state-related details on gun permits and laws, you can check the Pullman police website for firearms safety information and links to Washington state legislation.

Let’s work together to keep our campus safe.

Jorden Wilson is a senior psychology major from Seattle. She can be contacted at 335-2290 or by [email protected]. The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of the staff of The Daily Evergreen or those of the Office of Student Media.