Editor’s note: This commentary is by Amelia Gianetta, who is a senior studying environmental studies with a concentration in law, justice and activism, at the University of Vermont.
[I] work as a student caller for the University of Vermont. I call alumni, parents and friends of the school for surveys, fundraising and to update information. It’s a great job that has taught me much about my school, Burlington and Vermont.
Often, I call parents of current students. One of my favorite lists of people to call, I love UVM so I love hearing that students at UVM feel the same.
The week after the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting that took the lives of 17 people, a mother answered the phone. After the initial polite conversation and updating information, she asked chilling but important questions.
“Do you think UVM would have a shooting? Is my son safe there?”
Never had I had to answer a question like this. I was quick to reassure her that UVM is a safe school and that I could hardly believe that there would be a school shooting on our campus.
But didn’t every student at Stoneman Douglas think the same thing on Valentine’s Day? Sandy Hook Elementary school victims did not wake up wondering if their school was safe.
Every time a tragedy like the Stoneman Douglas shooting occurs it’s met with shock, prayers, discussions on gun control and mental health, and the blame game.
But it made me wonder what would happen if such an event occurred. There are over 10,000 undergraduate students on campus. Champlain College has over 2,000 students. The Burlington School District has over 3,000.
Burlington’s population is 42,570. In our academic year, one-third of Burlington’s population is comprised of students.
Vermont has one of the most liberal gun control regulations of all 50 states. In Vermont, state law allows for individuals to carry a concealed firearm without a permit.
In Fair Haven, a student has been accused of plotting a school shooting.
The Vermont Legislature responded by approving $4 million for school security and has started to see progress in gun reform. That is some action.
So when I was reassuring that mother, I was also reassuring myself. Because I don’t know. No one knows for certain if and when a school shooting will happen.
I’d like to think UVM is a safe campus. But, if anything, it is less secure than some public schools. Our campus is big and it is public. There are more students freely going to and from class. There are many buildings, almost all are unlocked during the day.
One recent incident of someone taking advantage of our open campus: Someone was able to get into our Davis Center tunnel to spew hate and create tension by taping index cards on the UVM’s mosaic center for students of color display.
I’m not going to compare the two events.
But that person knew how to hide from cameras, the doors were unlocked, and tapped the index cards, (some guns are the size of index cards) and left the notes.
All without being detected. That’s scary.
This isn’t just high school events.
The Virginia Tech shooting happened in 2007 and the Umpqua Community College shooting in 2015. They may not be as common as the massacres that happen in high schools but are still relevant to the gun reform debate.
What is UVM going to do to keep their students safe? What are other colleges plans for safety? In times of danger?
I’d like to know. For myself. But also for the mother that had to ask if her son is safe. The fear in her voice and the large exhale allowed me to feel her anxiety and worry. No parent should ever have to question the safety of their child’s school. Not in elementary, junior or high. Not in college.
