Following the February shootings at Northern Illinois University along with killings at both University of North Carolina and Auburn University last week, campus tragedies have again become a matter of concern for many students.
At Tufts, reactions to school shootings have prompted policy changes in recent years for several branches of the administration - particularly in the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) and Tufts' Counseling and Mental Health Service department.
The TUPD boasts a variety of both preventative and responsive measures for dealing with active shootings on campus.
"Our entire department has been trained in active shooter response," TUPD Captain Mark Keith said. "We've also trained with both Medford and Somerville police, because if we were to have an incident on campus, it is very likely that Medford and Somerville will be responding to assist us."
The new active-response training at TUPD began last January. Keith said that the approach to this sort of training has changed over the years.
"Pre-Columbine, the philosophy was [to] respond, contain and wait for special teams to come in - SWAT teams," he said. "After Columbine, there was a big shift in that philosophy in that there needs to be immediate action in order to prevent further loss of life."
Keith added that many campuses are seeking out ways to notify the surrounding community of potential dangers. "There are a lot of campuses nationwide who are looking into methods to contact as many people within their community as possible within the shortest period of time," he said.
Send Word Now, a program implemented last semester to rapidly send emergency alerts, is one of the most direct efforts to prevent campus violence. "It has the ability to contact thousands of people in a very short period of time over several methods - whether it be voicemail, text messaging, e-mail [or] cell phone," Keith said.
Junior Rachel Chervin said that she believes the Send Word Now program is a step in the right direction. "I feel like Tufts is a safe place," Chervin said. "There's a police apparatus set up and the emergency-response system definitely makes me feel safer."
But while many students understand the risks and danger of campus shootings, it can often be difficult to feel the reality of what is still a relatively uncommon occurrence. Senior Bennett Hillenbrand said that he knew students at Virginia Tech, but once he knew they were safe, it became hard to relate to the tragedy.
"Once it's not someone you know, it is just something that you hear about, something that happened to someone else," Hillenbrand said.
Within Counseling and Mental Health Service, an offshoot of Tufts' Health Service, the department's tactics focus on prevention.
"It's one of our major responsibilities to create an environment of trust and respect and of inquiry so that people will actually feel comfortable coming to us," said Michelle Bowdler, senior director of Health Service.
The Daily recently reported on a proposed suicide-awareness grant that would target and reach out to students at risk for suicide and depression. The federal grant, which would give the university $300,000 in aid over three years, aims to further connect the student body with the counseling services that are already in place by increasing awareness about counseling services and reducing the stigma that surrounds students who seek mental-health care.
Workshops for staff and freshmen and focus groups have also been put forth as possibilities by TUPD and Health Service.
The grant proposal recommends a "gatekeeper model," which is a method of educating those most directly connected with a given student, according to Supervising Clinician and Prevention Director of Counseling and Mental Health Service Marilyn Downs.
"If you look at an individual, you look at what are the things that need to be in place to reach that person." Downs said. "We think about who is going to be most in contact with students on a day to day basis [and who] is in the best position to possibly recognize someone who is in trouble."
Chervin said she thinks even more advertising of initiatives would encourage students in need to get help.
"You can only hope that if someone is feeling that depressed that they would seek help, but there is no guarantee," she said. "They have a good system in place and I would hope that people know those services are there, but they could promote themselves and publicize their services more broadly - get their number in everyone's hand and make sure people know how easy it is to get help."
Students and officials alike agree that shootings and suicide are urgent concerns for Tufts as much as any other university.
"I think it could happen anywhere," Keith said. "Schools, high schools, places of business, elementary schools ... I think it has been proven it can and does happen anywhere."
If Tufts students do find themselves in an active shooter situation, Keith advises them to find a safe space and barricade the door.
"If you hear what you think might be gun shots - a lot of people dismiss it as, it must be fire crackers or something - you should always consider it as the worst case scenario, in case it is, because you're wasting precious time," he said.
