Serious questions surface after Sheridan lockdown
An open letter to staff and students of Fanshawe College
Well, here we are another year and yet again our beloved strong...but spineless government bodies federal, municipal and even the simplest as the school (Fanshawe) has shown its worth... complete and utter joke. Yes, yes, yes this is doom on dickey time. The recent lock down at Sheridan College has raised some questions about our own safety at Fanshawe. It turns out that if there were anything like Virginia Tech or any of the other school shootings that Fanshawe is ill-prepared. Ok, yes there is the emergency response of the city and the odd hero, but the plans to getting into the college (God forbid) if anything happens is only in the hypothetical, there have been no practices or drills.
It all comes down to who has the bucks to pay for these drills, but the college in every other respect has done nothing to prevent a possible slaughter or maintain security (No Special Constables and Stinson DON'T count). The odd hero well those are a fantasy, just like the girl marrying the hot rich snow boarder, or the guy getting the hottest chick in the club... simple daydreams. In reality, 99.999 per cent of the time the hero is someone who is cold enough, hungry enough and just does not give a damn.
We will probably never know what sets off gunmen. Sure we can assume that they were some wet-under-the-nose-little-wimp that didn't have a thick enough skin to shake off the name calling, so the anger is let out the only way they have found, but the end result is still the same. The best thing we can do however is to try to make people aware of threatening personalities, but because we do not have the training to identify these people, we have to trust in the people that are in charge of the institutions.
There is some rumour that the lockdown at Sheridan was quite possibly a criminal test of the lockdown to see how the authorities would react. This brings back memories of Columbine to mind.
Now let's put this nightmare to Fanshawe College. There is no place to hide, but too many places both in and out of our school. The college is said to have a public address system... if you're thinking the X or our radio station... they do not count for much on addressing the college population. The college itself has no emergency measures that would be effective in security. How do you trust something that is itself not secure to outside interference, especially the surveillance systems?
The school has had its problem with guns and weapons. There have been several cases that have involved students with them ultimately getting arrested. Thankfully without any one being hurt or killed SO FAR, but will it take a shooting spree that is equal to or worse than any of the others to get the powers that be off their collective asses to do something?
I hope not, but typical of Canadians to only be reactive this is what will ultimately happen.
There is an old saying that Canadians should take to heart...”an ounce of prevention is a pound of cure.” It will take forever for the powers that be to learn this. Here is a little challenge for you. The next time you get a political person in front of you ask them what they or the government are going to do to prevent such incidents or to help law enforcement react to the same incidents (money for training or even place for training) but it's a challenge that will fall on deaf ears.
So, if you're so sure your safe ask yourself a lot of questions and take off the God damn rose coloured glasses and see that by nature alone our perfect little school is not so perfect. So get your head out of you butts and see the real world. It's time to grow up kids or go home.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
Well, here we are another year and yet again our beloved strong...but spineless government bodies federal, municipal and even the simplest as the school (Fanshawe) has shown its worth... complete and utter joke. Yes, yes, yes this is doom on dickey time. The recent lock down at Sheridan College has raised some questions about our own safety at Fanshawe. It turns out that if there were anything like Virginia Tech or any of the other school shootings that Fanshawe is ill-prepared. Ok, yes there is the emergency response of the city and the odd hero, but the plans to getting into the college (God forbid) if anything happens is only in the hypothetical, there have been no practices or drills.
It all comes down to who has the bucks to pay for these drills, but the college in every other respect has done nothing to prevent a possible slaughter or maintain security (No Special Constables and Stinson DON'T count). The odd hero well those are a fantasy, just like the girl marrying the hot rich snow boarder, or the guy getting the hottest chick in the club... simple daydreams. In reality, 99.999 per cent of the time the hero is someone who is cold enough, hungry enough and just does not give a damn.
We will probably never know what sets off gunmen. Sure we can assume that they were some wet-under-the-nose-little-wimp that didn't have a thick enough skin to shake off the name calling, so the anger is let out the only way they have found, but the end result is still the same. The best thing we can do however is to try to make people aware of threatening personalities, but because we do not have the training to identify these people, we have to trust in the people that are in charge of the institutions.
There is some rumour that the lockdown at Sheridan was quite possibly a criminal test of the lockdown to see how the authorities would react. This brings back memories of Columbine to mind.
Now let's put this nightmare to Fanshawe College. There is no place to hide, but too many places both in and out of our school. The college is said to have a public address system... if you're thinking the X or our radio station... they do not count for much on addressing the college population. The college itself has no emergency measures that would be effective in security. How do you trust something that is itself not secure to outside interference, especially the surveillance systems?
The school has had its problem with guns and weapons. There have been several cases that have involved students with them ultimately getting arrested. Thankfully without any one being hurt or killed SO FAR, but will it take a shooting spree that is equal to or worse than any of the others to get the powers that be off their collective asses to do something?
I hope not, but typical of Canadians to only be reactive this is what will ultimately happen.
There is an old saying that Canadians should take to heart...”an ounce of prevention is a pound of cure.” It will take forever for the powers that be to learn this. Here is a little challenge for you. The next time you get a political person in front of you ask them what they or the government are going to do to prevent such incidents or to help law enforcement react to the same incidents (money for training or even place for training) but it's a challenge that will fall on deaf ears.
So, if you're so sure your safe ask yourself a lot of questions and take off the God damn rose coloured glasses and see that by nature alone our perfect little school is not so perfect. So get your head out of you butts and see the real world. It's time to grow up kids or go home.
Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.
