We Need Lockdown Training
By: Mckenzie Gerdes
Illustrated by: Carla Cieza Espinoza
On Oct. 22, George Fox University (GFU) students, staff, and teachers received a vague text message about gunshots near campus, ending with, “Take shelter.” From observation of the campus that day, it seemed many people were confused as to what they should do, indicating a lack of training and preparation.
The gunshots came from Orchard Dr., where an intoxicated man was firing gunshots in the air. The police had to shut down the street, resolving the issue after a few hours.
From COVID-19 to forest fires, the GFU community has experienced events that required calm decision-making to ensure the safety of everyone. However, this particular instance revealed institutional flaws.
GFU does not require emergency drill participation for students. This lack of training was apparent on Oct. 22: students and teachers alike were unsure what to do. My experience was very different from other students, as I was in the Stevens Center where many GFU staff members work. My class continued the lecture after receiving the text. Later, just as class was getting out, everyone in the building was detained for over an hour.
Illustrated by Carla Cieza Espinoza
After receiving the initial text message, some students had their classes stopped, while other students had theirs continue. The vague text message solicited an equally vague response from everyone involved. While most of the campus tried to “take shelter,” some students claim that they were allowed to exit buildings to get to their cars.
How did the community outside of George Fox respond? This Facebook post with over 150 comments documents the experience of people not on campus being equally as confused as those who were. These comments involved people in the neighborhood asking if anyone knew what was going on, and also discussing the person they believed to be involved.
As I watched from the large glass windows of the Stevens Center, visiting prospective students and their families continued to wander campus grounds. GFU students who hadn’t checked their phones were wandering with them, completely unaware of the danger in the community. This failure to disseminate information had the potential to be unsafe in a more extreme circumstance.
The varied crisis responses from the GFU community calls for intentional training for teachers, staff, campus security, and students in how they should respond to an emergency of this nature.