Are Lincoln Higher Education Prepared for a Threat of a Mass Shooting?

LINCOLN, Neb. (Nebraska) – After the Michigan State University shooting that left three dead and five injured, many are concerned about the safety of students in Nebraska.

Lincoln universities and colleges say providing student safety is one of their top 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 such as an active shooter threat.

“We use a cellphone that basically sends an alert immediately,” Cummins said. “We would all use our social media.”

He said the college also has an alarm system that can take over every computer monitor on campus and deliver information.

Nebraska Wesleyan University also has an alert system in place.

“We call it a Wesleyan alert system, which is an instant text message that goes out to all employees and students within our system so they get real, timely communication,” said spokesperson Hunter Reeves.

Southeast said that when designing its newer buildings, it had in mind how to make them safer.

“In a building like this…we have two main entrances, and yes, we can block them, plus, we can block spaces within the building itself,” Cummins said.

Both insights say they have ongoing training for staff and students to respond to such emergencies.

They say that training courses are available to all staff members and students.

“The more we can train and the more we can work with our partners across the community, with the Lincoln Police Department, with other members of the community, we can create a safer environment for our students,” Cummins said.

Tags: alert, alert system, bev cummins, reeves hunter, mass shooting, michigan shooting, michigan state university, nebraska wesleyan, nebraska wesleyan university, SCC, shooting, southeast, southeast community college, safety of students, university security, Wesleyan

Content Source

The Sarpy County – Latest News:
Omaha Local News || Nebraska State News || Crime and Safety News || National news || Tech News || Lifestyle News