By The Editorial Board
On the first day of the spring semester, Baylor failed to make students aware there had been a safety threat off campus regarding a student getting carjacked and being held at gunpoint. On Thursday, three months later almost to the day, Baylor missed the opportunity to alert students as soon as danger was present again, or at least threatened. But this time, it was a threatened active shooter on campus. Half an hour after the report was called in to the Waco Police Department, Baylor sent out an alert saying there was no active threat on campus.
Multiple schools in Texas also experienced the same hoax calls, however the cases have not been linked together.
Two weeks ago, it took an active shooter at a school in Nashville, Tenn., 15 minutes to kill six people. So, in half the time our university took to notify its students of the threat, a gunman could have killed a dozen Baylor students, faculty, staff, prospective students, parents, visitors or passersby.
According to Baylor Spokesperson Lori Fogleman it took two minutes for Baylor’s police to arrive at the scene and they, along with law enforcement and Baylor Department of Public Safety, determined there was no threat on campus. She said technical security used security cameras on Baylor’s campus to get immediate visibility into the building that was mentioned in the 911 call, which showed no active threat.
The text we received saying there was no active threat on campus? The first notification that there was any possibility of danger at all? It may have been sent to calm the community, but it most likely had the opposite effect.
Instead, the alert felt more like a chilling reminder that our lives could have been at risk for a moment. It was also very concerning to notice the message contained unclear information about where the potential shooter even was, as there is no specific “ITS building” on Baylor’s campus.
We appreciate that Baylor PD acted immediately as soon as it received notification of a potential threat, turning to its security cameras to verify and confirm the building that was under suspicion did not present signs of active threats. It was also relieving to hear it only took them two minutes to arrive at the scene.
But after the Baylor Alert was sent, Fogleman said the administration identified errors in how the university communicated the shooting hoax to the Baylor community.
She said Baylor is constantly reassessing the university’s security posture and that they are aways looking to improve communications among the community. Fogleman said although law enforcement had determined there was no active shooter, finding a better way to identify buildings, locations and communications through campus was a takeaway from the events of Thursday.
We understand mistakes are made, and we believe Baylor is continuously seeking to improve its relationship with the community and the way it communicates with it. We, however, continue to suggest a better plan needs to be made in order to prepare students for the worst.
Soon after the first day of the spring semester scare, the Editorial Board published an editorial intended to make the university aware that we, as students, feel unprepared and unprotected from the impending danger school shootings pose.
“Baylor has a system to spread word quickly of incidents that happen on or around campus called ‘Baylor Alert.’ This is another vital service that should be utilized as often as necessary. There is no such thing as too much communication when it comes to students’ safety,” we told administrators in the editorial. “Students deserve to know if they are at risk walking at certain hours of the day, whether at 12:30 p.m. or 8 p.m. Everyone should be well-informed and prepared in case of an emergency.”
Why is it that now nearing the end of the semester, we are facing the same feelings of unpreparedness and a lack of protection? What will it take for Baylor to hear our worries and answer them with resources, demonstrated planning and proper communication of safety risk?
