2008 Woodie Awards
Students Respond to University Shooting
Cristin Hubbard: Muleskinner
Issue date: 2/28/08 Section: News
Inside a Northern Illinois University lecture hall, a gunman opened fire on a group of geology students. Six people were killed, including the shooter. The deaths and injuries brought the total to 22 victims.
According to insidehighered.com - an online news source for those involved with higher education - the shooter entered the lecture hall shortly after 3 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 14. He was dressed in black and emerged at the front of the room and opened fire.
UCM has never experienced such a tragedy. However, students at UCM may have varied responses to the recent events on the NIU campus. Paul Polychronis, assistant director of Counseling and Psychological Services, said student and faculty reactions can vary dramatically.
"On the one hand, someone could think, 'That was awful. But it won't happen to me,'" Polychronis said. "On the other hand, someone could really be hit hard, be frightened and recognize that it could happen anywhere."
How are UCM students handling this nearby tragedy?
Jennifer Jackson, junior journalism major, said she does not think it is having a large effect.
"I'm sure people think about it, but it doesn't seem to be slowing people down from their daily activities," Jackson said.
Kaitlin Gants, senior public relations major, said she thinks people are becoming accustomed to these types of things happening.
"Sadly, the shootings are happening more often, so I don't think they are being taken as seriously as they should be," Gants said.
The shooter at NIU armed himself with a rifle and two handguns and managed to get on campus without drawing attention to himself.
"If they are concealing a weapon, you wouldn't know it until they did something bad with it," Jackson said. "It could be anyone. You never know."
"I think it would be easy for someone to get on campus," Gants said. "I think we can be prepared, but it would be impossible to prevent everything."
Polychronis said after the Virginia Tech shooting, many students may have thought of a shooting at UCM as a remote possibility. He added that the shooting at NIU is more likely to make students uncomfortable because of its location comparative to UCM. DeKalb, Il., where NIU is located, is about 8 hours from Warrensburg. In comparison, Virginia Tech is more than twice that far.
"I think it can happen anywhere," Jackson said. "It just takes one person having a crazy idea."
Gants said she doesn't think the proximity to the shootings makes it any harder or easier to deal with.
"All of the school shootings have an impact on me, whether I know someone who went there or not," Gants said.
Polychronis said what makes these shootings so difficult for people to handle is the illogical aspect. Polychronis said people often try to make sense of something unexplainable.
"I think college used to be seen as a haven; a fun, safe place to be. And it often is," Polychronis said. "However, this image has been shattered in recent years."
According to insidehighered.com - an online news source for those involved with higher education - the shooter entered the lecture hall shortly after 3 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 14. He was dressed in black and emerged at the front of the room and opened fire.
UCM has never experienced such a tragedy. However, students at UCM may have varied responses to the recent events on the NIU campus. Paul Polychronis, assistant director of Counseling and Psychological Services, said student and faculty reactions can vary dramatically.
"On the one hand, someone could think, 'That was awful. But it won't happen to me,'" Polychronis said. "On the other hand, someone could really be hit hard, be frightened and recognize that it could happen anywhere."
How are UCM students handling this nearby tragedy?
Jennifer Jackson, junior journalism major, said she does not think it is having a large effect.
"I'm sure people think about it, but it doesn't seem to be slowing people down from their daily activities," Jackson said.
Kaitlin Gants, senior public relations major, said she thinks people are becoming accustomed to these types of things happening.
"Sadly, the shootings are happening more often, so I don't think they are being taken as seriously as they should be," Gants said.
The shooter at NIU armed himself with a rifle and two handguns and managed to get on campus without drawing attention to himself.
"If they are concealing a weapon, you wouldn't know it until they did something bad with it," Jackson said. "It could be anyone. You never know."
"I think it would be easy for someone to get on campus," Gants said. "I think we can be prepared, but it would be impossible to prevent everything."
Polychronis said after the Virginia Tech shooting, many students may have thought of a shooting at UCM as a remote possibility. He added that the shooting at NIU is more likely to make students uncomfortable because of its location comparative to UCM. DeKalb, Il., where NIU is located, is about 8 hours from Warrensburg. In comparison, Virginia Tech is more than twice that far.
"I think it can happen anywhere," Jackson said. "It just takes one person having a crazy idea."
Gants said she doesn't think the proximity to the shootings makes it any harder or easier to deal with.
"All of the school shootings have an impact on me, whether I know someone who went there or not," Gants said.
Polychronis said what makes these shootings so difficult for people to handle is the illogical aspect. Polychronis said people often try to make sense of something unexplainable.
"I think college used to be seen as a haven; a fun, safe place to be. And it often is," Polychronis said. "However, this image has been shattered in recent years."
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