Stop, Drop and Roll

I can’t imagine anything worse than going to class at 8 AM, and just as you sit down you hear excessive beeping and see flashing lights. Fire drills don’t just annoy students, they’re also a hassle to professors forcing them to leave and rearrange their schedule for a 5 minute inconvenience. More importantly than the negatives are the positives like being proactive and informing the students.

Although Rob Knarr was not able to find any history of a fire in UCBA’s history, he did express his pleasure with the results of the drill. “Generally, we do receive the favorable results we are expecting. Any discovered issues are addressed and resolved immediately,” he said. If his word isn’t enough to end your worries of safety in a fire then rest easy knowing the fire department is located less than a mile away from our campus.

Along with fire drills, a rising concern of college students are potential school shootings. This is a very worrisome issue that makes many people uncomfortable.  UCBA publicizes virtually no plan to stop an intruder when they enter the school. There’s a list of commands to follow, but I can sum them up for you by saying hide and run if you can. Knarr is aware of this problem, and he's working on a solution. He said, "I am actually in the process of reviewing the previous emergency policies and procedures left behind by the previous Facilities regime, so look for updates and improvements soon.” Although you may feel unsafe about the procedures for shootings at UCBA currently, it’s nice to know that better steps are soon to be put in place.