Though the events last Thursday cannot be mistaken as anything short of tragic, they made me realize there are some other issues that arose on campus that deserve discussion. Aside from the obvious notion that Rensselaer is due for some safety upgrades, this campus also faced some tough news and subsequent actions that many people were not prepared to deal with.
While I cannot fully speak on behalf of those who were caught up in the Low Center for Industrial Innovation lockdown, I have caught wind—via letters to the editor and complaints from friends—that the actions of the two SWAT teams (Troy and Colonie) crossed over the line of violence. Innocent students and faculty who were either involved in a class or sitting quietly at their desks were shouted at while guns were pointed at their faces. Many were unaware of what had happened and the first time they heard anything was when armed guards were pressing them for information. Rather than succeeding at capturing a potential assailant had there been one, the police instead instilled a wide-spread panic in the building that spilled out across campus.
Even though some of the descriptions of how these detainees were treated are a little appalling, the quick response of administration and surrounding law enforcement officials is somewhat comforting. It is safe to say that Rensselaer is in good hands, and conservative actions will be carried through to ensure the safety of students across the campus—not just at the location of an incident. The cooperation between the Troy Police Department, Public Safety officials, and appropriate administrators seems somewhat unprecedented and is a stronger tie than in most other college cities. While some, including media representatives at the afternoon press conferences, may have questioned the move to expand the closure to the entire campus, the decision held the students’ best interests as the top priority, alongside everyone’s safety and emotions during a potentially dangerous situation. Had there been a shooter, as some initially believed, that person could have still been around campus with a loaded weapon—not necessarily still in the CII or immediate surrounding buildings.
Though the Institute’s regard for our general well-being is apparent, sometimes these efforts are not thought through before put in place. The SWAT team’s actions, for example, were probably deemed necessary for the threat level they assessed, but clueless students and faculty are not going to respond well to being shouted at while facing loaded weapons. Perhaps it may be necessary now for there to be some protocol on how to deal with these extreme situations because one can never foresee tragic events.
Also, it was not carefully planned where to send students once the academic parts of campus were closed. Initially the Union and Commons dining facility were left open, but the Institute lockdown was soon spread to include all non-residential buildings. Students were only allowed into Commons for dinner at each residence hall’s allotted time, and the Union did not reopen until Friday with the rest of campus. As a member of the administration pointed out, if you close the academic part of campus, where are the students going to go? If, in turn, the dining, recreation, and studying facilities are shut down or inaccessible, students have nowhere to turn besides home—but some students don’t have the means to get home mid-day. While I applaud the efforts of law enforcement and Institute officials, I hope now that they realize some actions were uncalled for and setting up a future plan can take into account the problems faced in Thursday’s incident.
