Are Lincoln’s higher education institutions prepared for a mass shooting threat?
LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — After the Michigan State University shooting that left three dead and five wounded, many are concerned about students’ safety in Nebraska.
Universities and colleges in Lincoln say providing security for students is one of their main priorities.
“It’s the thing that keeps us up at night as college administrators, making sure we keep everyone safe,” said Bev Cummins, administrator of Southeast Community College’s Lincoln Campus.
SCC said communication between staff members and students is a priority during emergencies like an active shooter threat.
“We use a cellphone which basically sends an alert out immediately,” Cummins said. “We would use all of our social media.”
She said the college also has an alert system that is able to take over every computer monitor on campus and provide information.
Nebraska Wesleyan University also has an alert system in place.
“We call it a Wesleyan alert system, which is an immediate text message that goes to all employees and students within our system so that they get that real, in-time communication,” spokesman Hunter Reeves said.
Southeast said that when designing its newest buildings, it had in mind how they could make them more secure.
“In a building like this … we have two main entrances, and yes, we can lock them down, plus, we can lock down spaces within the building itself,” Cummins said.
Both intuitions say they have ongoing training for staff and students to respond to such emergencies.
They say the trainings are available for all staff members and students.
“The more we can train and the more we can work with our partners through the community, with the Lincoln Police Department, with other community members, we can create a safer environment for our students,” Cummins said.
