An Interview with a Ferrum College Student About Lockdown on Campus

On the morning of February the 26th, in the city of Ferrum, Virginia, at Ferrum College, a housekeeper reported seeing a person entering a residence hall whom she said she suspected might have a concealed weapon.

Once the authorities were notified of this, the college went on a lock down. All students are currently in a safe and centralized location, and are being updated with current happenings. At this time, no one has been caught, but officials are conducting a full search of the campus. Because of this, all classes have been canceled for Tuesday. At this time, a full report on the happenings can be found on the Ferrum College homepage, www.Ferrum.edu.

In this article you will read an interview with a student, Kevin Henderson, who is a student at Ferrum College, but does not currently live on campus, and was therefore available to be interviewed via the telephone about the happenings at his school.

How did you find out about there being a man with a gun at your school?

I found out through a text message sent to me through the school's new alert system. I was asleep in bed, about to get woken up by my alarm to go to my first class of the day.

Where were you when you first heard of the alleged gunman?

I was at home. I actually panicked for a while, and thought of heading to the dorms to pick up a couple of my friends so that they could come over for the day, but then I received another text notifying me of the school's lock down and had to stay here.

What were you thinking when you were told that your school was on a lock down?

The lock down is a good idea. I'm just happy that the school is trying their best to do what's right for the students, and to keep them as safe as possible.

Did you make any phone calls or contact anyone to let them know of what was going on?

The only phone calls I made were to two of my best friends who live on campus. I wanted to let them know of what was going on, just in case they hadn't heard. I also called to invite them over, but that ended up not happening.

Are you aware that this isn't the first time that this has happened?

Yes. I have actually followed up with news on the Stony Brook lock down that happened yesterday, and with the shootings at the Illinois campus that happened a few weeks back. I didn't think we'd have a scare like this though, here at Ferrum.

Why do you think that more college campuses are experiencing events like this these?

I have no idea. It's crazy to me, and I don't think that people who pull stuff like this at college are mentally stable. I wish those people knew how to handle themselves, their feelings, anger, and resentment better.

After this incident will you feel safe walking around campus?

I am not a bad person. I have nothing to fear. I go about my business when I'm at school, and I have a small circle of friends whom I'm fairly close to and know really well. I do think that I will be able to feel safe when I'm on campus; however I also hope that the suspected gunman is caught.

Do you feel that school administrators and officials handled this situation appropriately?

Yes. I do believe that the school's administrators and the police officials have handled this situation correctly. I was very pleased to read on the website that all the students are in a centralized and safe location. I have a lot of friends who do live on campus, and I would hate to hear about one of them being hurt.

Are you, or any one related to you part of the campus alert system that you school is offering to all of the students?

I am actually signed up for the e2campus service since a couple of months back. I did not know if I should join at first, as I thought we'd get a bunch of junk texts, but it's been a good thing so far. My parents opted out of this service, however my mom receives emails notifying her of current events here at Ferrum.

What are your thoughts on this new alert system?

I believe that creating an alert system that notifies people through text messages of currently important happenings at the university is a genius idea. It is also a much better way to reach people, as almost everyone and their mom has a cell phone these days.

School Administration, "Emergency Information", www.Ferrum.edu