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Tamuk’s lockdown: A year after the Virginia Tech tragedy The South Texan |
 Patrick Desmond thesouthtexan@yahoo.com |
Where were you April 16, 2008 between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.? It was the momentary question of importance at Texas A&M University- Kingsville making news with its campus-wide lock-down last week.
I was deeply involved at work in an intense paper revision sesh. Peer after peer kept coming in with essays needing immediate attention- sentences all “fragged” up, modifiers dangling, infinitives threatening to inevitably split. Understandably, I was already a little on edge when I got the upsetting news. I would have to spend extra unpaid hours at work. I was in the middle of untangling a mixed construction when an unnerved superior flew into the office demanding all the doors to be locked and students to remain inside. My mind reverberated the warning of the shrill voice –“this is not a drill.”
On a more serious note our campus lockdown occurred on the anniversary of the Virginia Tech tragedy. I (along side more than half of the school I am sure) was struck by an immediate sense of trepidation and anxiety. Was an overstressed, socially rejected Richard Bachman armed with an m-16 turning our grounds of higher learning into his own sadistic playground?
However, the first fleeting impression of panic was soon replaced by direction quickly communicated from head TAMUK administrators through e-mail, text and phone. Had my fears become reality the action of local police and faculty would have undoubtedly saved many lives where credit is due.
I spent the duration of the lock-down with fellow students and staff holed up in a room searching the internet for updates on the campus’ condition. The mood of the room was lively as interpretations and explanations were excitedly discussed; however passive, there was a sense of anxiety in the air.
The situation was under control and the lock-down ended within three hours but overall the event serves as great reminder to our campus of how important the chain of communication is in such an emergency. The lesson to be learned from this experience is that misfortune can occur anywhere, anytime. Especially with recent threats on our campus, we should not be complacent with what worked but look at areas that need improvement to provide our school the greatest security possible.