Striving for a bulletproof college campus

On Thursday, three days after a shooter killed three students and wounded five at Michigan State, Connecticut State Community College announced plans to hire seven more counselors to boost mental health services.

Another shooting at a college revives the question about the best approach to keeping campuses safe.

Take away more guns, or build stronger shields?

It’s not a multiple choice quiz. The answer is always both. There are other correct answers as well.

Among other actions is to enhance mental health services for students and staff. On Thursday, three days after a shooter killed three students and wounded five at Michigan State, Connecticut State Community College announced plans to hire seven more counselors to boost mental health services.

The announcement included data that 68 percent of the state community college students who were recently surveyed indicated they needed mental health services in the past year.

The high figure is not unique to Connecticut. The data mirrors findings from Health Minds Network’s own survey of students from 450 colleges across the nation.

Meredith Yuhas, CT State’s director of mental health and wellness, said students cope with an array of issues. Some are traditional challenges, including relationships and financial pressures. Others are contemporary, such as losses suffered from the pandemic and anxiety over social injustice.

Add to that the pressure of living in a nation where the Michigan State tragedy was logged as the 71st mass shooting in the 44 days of 2023.

Meeting the mental health needs of students is further complicated by the reality that such expertise is in high demand everywhere.

Colleges want to put themselves in the best light possible for students as well as their families. Once upon a time, that might have led college leaders to present a Pollyanna version of their campus as bulletproof. In 2023, “the best light” means demonstrating safety measures to diminish the odds of random students and staff from being shot.

Technology has helped in recent years. Virtually everyone carries a device that can alert them to danger in the vicinity. Colleges are perpetually evaluating security staffing, cameras and campus lighting.

There also has been a message to students shorthanded as “avoid, deny, defend” or “run, hide, fight” in the presence of an active shooter. It’s a concept that goes back decades.

After the Michigan State shooting, University of Connecticut police Capt. Justin Gilbert said “it’s important to make sure we’re staying up on best practices, learning what we can from these incidents” while preventing the campus from looking like a prison.

Best practices need to keep evolving, and should be shared by colleges across the nation. Local school districts can learn from them as well.

In the case of Connecticut, the statewide community college network is now overseen by a central police chief, who formerly served as head of the New Britain police department. This system alone included 17 schools, and Connecticut has plenty of other colleges outside the network.

Colleges thrive on rivalries, but this is one area where they must all be on the same team.

Gun safety. Stronger shields. Mental health services.

All of these are the right answers. The events of the past taught us of the need to remain vigilant. Sadly, we’ve learned that reminders never cease.