The start of the fall semester at the University of Michigan is a ways off for me, but over the weekend a funny thought occurred to me. Should I get a bullet-proof vest?
Mass murders at two universities -- Virginia Tech and now Northern Illinois University -- had started me thinking about classroom security and the safety of my students in the event such a tragedy occurred on my campus, in my building, or in my classroom. How would I react? Should I say something to my students on the first day of class about what they should do? About the importance of mental health services, of alerting authorities when they suspect a friend has a problem?
This issue was lingering in my mind, but it appears to have largely disappeared from the national consciousness. Michigan Messenger notes today (February 19, 2008)that Michigan State University is hosting two events -- a vigil and a discussion -- about the shooting. And the Free Press has a story about a Wayne State University professor who studies campus shootings.
But where is George Bush on this issue? What is he saying about how to prevent such shootings? Suppose the murderer at Northern Illinois had been an Arab and a Muslim instead of a white? How many times would we have heard the words "domestic terrorism" and wondered if terrorism had come to our shores? Bush would be all over the airwaves denouncing the terrorists and calling for a renewed "war on terror.
And the terror threat level would be ratcheted up to the brightest color imaginable.
Instead, we focus on what the universities should do -- how they should "respond" when an attack occurs. Instead of a national solution, we tell our schools and students, "You're on your own."
But isn't it "terrorism" when somebody shoots up a classroom? Aren't our children "terrorized" by that experience? Isn't it "terrorism" when somebody shoots up a shopping mall? Doesn't this kind of "terrorism" demand a national response? Or at least an ongoing national conversation?
No comments:
Post a Comment