By the IV Leader Staff, Feb. 21, 2008
In the wake of the Northern Illinois University shootings that occurred on Feb. 14, it is important for students to understand that these great tragedies that occur in the world are not just the line-up for the five and ten o’clock news — they are a reality.
It is easy to overlook the severity, horror and long-lasting effects of such tragedies when they are occurring states away. But when something, such as the gunman on the NIU campus — which is just a mere 90 minutes from Illinois Valley Community College — happens it is important to realize that one is not immune from disaster.
It is time to start taking safety into our own hands. There is only so much one college or university can do to protect students. School officials do not have eyes and ears everywhere, but students can do their part to help.
Most students ignore any instances of verbal or written threats because they see them as empty and petty when made, but even the smallest and seemingly insignificant threat can escalate into a dangerous situation. Most students also ignore it when they witness something strange on their campus because they view their learning environment as a bubble, where no bad things can ever happen and just figure it an eccentricity of their campus.
But if we learn nothing else from the NIU killings, it is that any situation should be reported to Safety Services because we never know when it could be us.
Students may feel silly reporting such tiny things, but the price that one will have to pay if someone actually does pose a threat is much higher. We need to start taking our safety seriously and never get too comfortable in any false sense of security.
This time, the victims and bystanders were our friends, family members and professors. It is terrible that an event must happen so close to home to prompt the examination of safety procedures. However it serves to remind us that every victim everywhere is someone else’s best friend, or brother, or girlfriend. And we must look more carefully, not only over our own, but others as well.