Hallie Mayes
Lantern Staff
The 5000 building in Andover has been under construction for over a year. As the new design is a chic modern look, it poses possible safety hazards that have been troubling to some Butler students.
According to an article posted by Science Daily, school shootings have been steadily increasing since 1979, with an all-glass design concerns have been raised about safety of students and staff if there were to be a shooting. The design is a complete non-bulletproof glass from top to bottom on classroom walls. Thin wooden panels line the edge of the windows onto the floor. In many school shooter drills, students are instructed to hide behind the door and in corners. But these protective doors are now see through and can easily be shot through; worry has arisen in the student population.
One student wrote in expressing their fears on the current situation, “I am not pleased with what I see […] Butler has a new lock system which locks every door electronically, but this system is useless against a glass-shattering bullet.” This is taken from a ‘Letter to the Editor’, which was published online on Thursday, March 5.
During the president’s monthly visit to Andover in February, several students expressed these concerns and were met with vague responses. Chief of Police Jason Kenney expresses how safety procedures remain the same as well as evacuation points that are made available to students on the Grizzly Safe application (app). Butler has implemented the A.L.I.C.E principles on all Butler campuses if there were to be an active shooter. A.L.I.C.E stands for alert, lockdown, inform, counter, evacuate. These steps are not meant to be sequential, but are adopted as a reminder of action to take.
With this design already in place, the question is: What now? Acknowledging the concerns and status of the building, one student suggests a check-in system as an extra precaution because of the danger the design poses.
“I do think precautions need to be taken, at least confirmation that you are a student here,” Brennin Hicky, freshman Liberal Arts major, said. “It is really easy to walk in and walk out without being questioned.”
Kenney goes on to explain how the Grizzly Safe app allows students and staff to be updated on evolving safety precautions. He continues with explaining how the contractor added frosting to the panels to obstruct a straight line of vision. To calm anxieties about this possible threat to students, Kenney offers personal contact for questions or concerns at (316) 322-3232 or jkenny2@butlercc.edu. Police officers are also available from 7 a.m. -11 p.m. in the 5000 building in the Room 5010 and can be reached at (316) 253-1076.
“Everyone should continue to be pro-active and report to police anything that seems out of the ordinary,” Kenney said.
