As news spread Monday of a San Diego high school shooting which killed two and injured 13, a number of University of Memphis students, faculty and staff voiced their concerns about campus safety here at The U of M.
Gladys Castanom, a senior industrial engineering major from Mexico, said she often worries about her safety on campus.
"I understand Memphis has a large crime rate," Castanom said. "So yes, I do not feel safe."
Melissa Schon, a senior art education major, agreed she feels unsafe, but not necessarily about school shootings.
"If a lot of people are around, I feel safe," she said. "But at night, with few people around, I don't feel safe. There's not enough lights."
Schon, who is married and expecting her first child, said she feels public schools are only partially to blame.
"It's a hard question to answer, and yes, I feel that the public school systems are unsafe, but I also think maybe it begins at home -- with the parents," said Schon.
The shooting Monday involved a ninth-grader, who witnesses said went to his locker and took out a semi-automatic weapon. He then entered the bathroom, where at least three students were shot. Another 12 were randomly shot outside the bathroom. The 15-year-old suspect is now in custody
Although the most infamous university shooting occurred in 1973, at the University of Texas, when 41 students and faculty were shot by a gunman positioned in the clock tower, the most recent occurred in the Mid-South. At the University of Arkansas last year, a gunman shot a professor and then himself.
Kevin Jensen, campus minister at the Christian Student Center, said he thinks people need to prepare for the scenario at the University of Memphis.
"It is definitely a legitimate possibility that could happen soon," Jensen said. "We are at risk at all times. Still, with all the training, I don't think we would be equipped to handle a tragedy of this magnitude."
Brian Vaughn, a U of M graduate and an intern with River's Edge Student Center, said he agrees with Jensen that The U of M must prepare. Vaughn, a former state trooper, suggests having a plan of action in case of such a situation.
"You have to be ready," Vaughn said. "We have fire and tornado drills. We hope it never happens, but you have to be ready."
However, according to U of M director of Public Safety Roger Fowler, there is no plan in place for situations similar to Monday's shooting.
"We have nothing written down," Fowler said. "I guess we'd dial 911. The problem is, how do you prepare? We (officers) all went through school and training. We wouldn't want to talk about how we would respond."
Britt Taylor, a freshman economics major, said, "I hate to be callous, but it's like the drunk driving that happens. With the first few instances, there was that shock value. Now it's just another statistic."
Tim Luke, campus minister with the Baptist Student Union, said he thinks society has lost something vital.
"What are you going to do." he asked. "Hide in your house? Instead of being picked on and letting it bounce off, kids today retaliate. Somewhere, somehow, we have lost the ability to deal with things without a semi-automatic."
