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School shootings cause concern for education majors |
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Thursday, 12 October 2006 |
by AUBREY RESECH
Intern News Reporter
Student and faculty safety was compromised at three different schools in Wisconsin, Colorado and
Pennsylvania over the past two weeks. Seven people were killed as a result, igniting both national and local concern.
“Situations like this make me nervous,” freshman secondary education major Melissa L. Bradian said.
“As a teacher, you want to create a sense of security for your
students, but you know that there is only so much you can do. These
situations are just unpredictable.”
On Oct. 2, at an Amish school in rural Pennsylvania, a man shot and
killed five female students and injured two others. Two weeks ago, in
Wisconsin, a 15-year-old male student shot his principal, while a
drifter at a school in Colorado captured six female students and
molested them. The drifter eventually killed one of the girls then
turned the trigger on himself.
“Youth exposure to violence, particularly in the home, being reinforced
for violent behavior, or observing others being reinforced for violent
behavior are all associated with an increased risk for juvenile
violence,” Dr. Josh Broman-Fulks, an assistant professor in the
psychology department, said.
“After hearing about Columbine seven years ago, I was shocked,” sophomore special education major
Susan E. Mills said. “Now that I am going into the teaching field, I am
more aware of the possibilities of school violence, especially after
hearing about these recent accounts. However, one cannot live in fear.”
At Appalachian State University, student and faculty safety is of utmost concern.
University Police Chief Gunther E. Doerr states on the University
Police Web site, it is the belief of the police department that public
safety is the joint responsibility of both the police and the community
they serve.
Furthermore, Doerr petitions students to pitch in and help make the university an even safer place.
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