by Alina Rosenkranz |
Recent school shootings across the country have led university officials to re-evaluate safety procedures. For some classrooms on The Bluff, the only way to lock the rooms for shelter was from outside the door.
Over winter break, about 20 doors in Franz Hall and 30 in Swindells Hall were equipped with new locks, which make it possible to lock the room from the inside without a key, according to Director of Public Safety Gerald Gregg.
“Let’s say there is an active shooter,” Gregg said. “Like it happened down in Roseburg, and you are in a classroom, and you are not the (professor), and you don’t have a key to the room. You can now walk over and lock that door, turn off the lights and hide if you needed to.”
This ability to improve safety was brought to attention to UP by faculty. Buckley Center had already been updated during its summer 2015 remodel.
Alina Rosenkranz is a reporter for The Beacon. She can be reached at rosenkra17@up.edu.
