College is all about creating a plan for your future. What kind of job do you want? What companies would you like to apply for? Are you willing to move for your future career?

But what plan do you have for protecting your future? What will you do in the case of there being an active shooter on campus?

With shootings on school campuses becoming more and more common, we think the laker community at large can do more to prepare. 

Right now, GVSU provides a good foundation. The Department of Public Safety has a web page detailing appropriate active shooter response on campus, and concealed carry is prohibited on campuses state-wide. On Sept. 18, the GVSU Simulation Center hosted an active shooter drill for a select group of students. 

The drill, which was held at the Cook-Devos Center for Health Sciences, was a good start, but it would not be practical on a larger scale, as it took about eight months to plan. Also, college campuses in general are not optimal for drills, given the number of campuses, buildings and students, as well as the uniqueness of each student’s schedule.

As students, we should seek out resources to prepare ourselves. And if we feel that the current information and resources offered are not enough, we should reach out to the Department of Public Safety to continue the conversation. While the actions of campus officials are vital to our safety, we do need to take some of the responsibility upon ourselves as individuals. If we can take initiative before these events have directly touched our community, we can be prepared to act as leaders if we are ever met with such violence.

While no one truly knows how they would react in a crisis, the more we prepare for these situations, the more likely we are to respond proactively.

This is never something we want to discuss. And of course, we should be angry about the fear of violence and do what we can to hold our politicians accountable to enact change. But ultimately, this is a part of life in America right now, and we should step-up as a community to help keep each other safe.