A thought crossed my mind on Wednesday morning after receiving a disturbing text message from the GoldAlert system, which arrived nearly 40 minutes after messages to some of my classmates. “How would I be able to stop an armed gunman if he entered my classroom?” I wondered. Would I hide behind my desk and play dead or jump from a second-story window with hopes of soft earth meeting me at the end of my fall? Should I sink to the level of the assailant and attempt to use my ballpoint pen to gouge his eyes out? As the various scenarios ran through my head a more profound thought arose. A young person like me should not be left to ponder such an atrocity on a beautiful day.
Even as numerous violent episodes explode across our country, our administration sits back, like they do on so many issues, and disregards the desires and needs of the current students.
The power players of our university seem to be too consumed by building projects and alumni appeasement to recognize the real issues facing our school.
The potential consequences of inaction dwarf the need for more parking, smoker’s rights or a football team. We are dealing with a matter of life and death.
I should not have to live with the slightest fear that violence on my campus may take the life of any student. And I will not live with this fear. We should no longer sit by and hope that tragedy never strikes our campus.
I demand that the leaders of our school take action to secure our campus from both internal and external threats, just as every other concerned collegiate should.
A proactive approach will ensure our safety and the safety of those students who follow in our footsteps. Acting now will provide us with the best chance of avoiding catastrophe.
It is up to the administration of ETSU to ensure that our campus is secure at all times and that the slightest attempt to bring terror and sorrow to our loved ones at this university is dealt with swiftly. And it is up to us, the students, to demand that the administration fulfill its obligation to the fullest.
I pose one question to both student and faculty. “What is it going to take?”
My life as a student has become so threatened by fear of a heinous, indiscriminate act of violence that I have planned my escape from every classroom I attend on this campus.

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