Comments on: Professor Moriarity. http://www.margaretsoltan.com/?p=21330 A professor of English describes university life. Aim: To change things. Thu, 09 Sep 2010 18:50:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: University Diaries » The University: Bloody but Unbowed http://www.margaretsoltan.com/?p=21330&cpage=1#comment-16015 University Diaries » The University: Bloody but Unbowed Thu, 18 Feb 2010 01:33:06 +0000 http://www.margaretsoltan.com/?p=21330#comment-16015 [...] The UAH professor who defied Bishop and shut down her massacre speaks. … [Debra Moriarity] worried that any attempt to tighten security could have negative consequences. “There is evil in the world; it is unfortunate that good people are hurt by that. But a university is a place of free thought and freedom to explore ideas and to search out new knowledge and you don’t want to put anything in place that dampens that.” [...] [...] The UAH professor who defied Bishop and shut down her massacre speaks. … [Debra Moriarity] worried that any attempt to tighten security could have negative consequences. “There is evil in the world; it is unfortunate that good people are hurt by that. But a university is a place of free thought and freedom to explore ideas and to search out new knowledge and you don’t want to put anything in place that dampens that.” [...]

]]> By: Stephen Karlson http://www.margaretsoltan.com/?p=21330&cpage=1#comment-15998 Stephen Karlson Wed, 17 Feb 2010 05:17:58 +0000 http://www.margaretsoltan.com/?p=21330#comment-15998 "Lockdown" is not the best choice of words. "Confined to quarters" is closer to what the first responders request. At Northern Illinois, that kept people confined to their classrooms or to their office buildings until the situation was clear. On the one hand, that meant additional targets had there been more than one gunman (there was a threat, unrelated to the actual event, of just that) going through nearby buildings (as early news reports erroneously suggested.) On the other hand, there are fewer gawkers or people leaving campus to get in the way of the police and medical workers. “Lockdown” is not the best choice of words. “Confined to quarters” is closer to what the first responders request. At Northern Illinois, that kept people confined to their classrooms or to their office buildings until the situation was clear. On the one hand, that meant additional targets had there been more than one gunman (there was a threat, unrelated to the actual event, of just that) going through nearby buildings (as early news reports erroneously suggested.) On the other hand, there are fewer gawkers or people leaving campus to get in the way of the police and medical workers.

]]> By: j in brooklyn http://www.margaretsoltan.com/?p=21330&cpage=1#comment-15990 j in brooklyn Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:22:50 +0000 http://www.margaretsoltan.com/?p=21330#comment-15990 Pushing her (Bishop) out had the effect of putting everyone outside at risk. Granted that no one in that room had any prior training or had ever thought about what to do in such a situation, there's room for improvement from what I read online. Most reports state that the university was placed on "lockdown" after the massacre. This policy really derives from prison procedures, confinement because inmates cannot be allowed to leave the facility. It is a poor choice for most school shooting scenarios: From the prolific author, Greg Perry (about eBay and sundry computer topics: My bride, a former public school ... just told me this: Lockdown is nothing more than an attempt to keep collateral damage to a fixed number. Its their (failed) hope that the maximum number of students who will die will be the number locked inside the room or hall with the shooter. from the Freemendo at Typepad blog 04 November 2007 Lockdown Lockdown, lockdown, lockdown. No, no, no. When the terrorists began their assault at Beslan, around 40% of the students and staff ran like cuh-razy to get away from the school. A few hid in the boiler room. Every single one of those children and adults lived. the "freemendo" blogger has quite a bit of relevant background, as his blog shows. Staying in place might or might not have been a good policy in Huntsville -- ask him and see. But a "lockdown" of the building with an active shooter leads to disaster. Pushing her (Bishop) out had the effect of putting everyone
outside at risk. Granted that no one in that room had any prior training or had ever thought about what to do in such a situation, there’s room for improvement from what I read online.

Most reports state that the university was placed on “lockdown” after the massacre. This policy really derives
from prison procedures, confinement because inmates cannot
be allowed to leave the facility. It is a poor choice for
most school shooting scenarios:

From the prolific author, Greg Perry (about eBay and sundry computer topics:

My bride, a former public school … just told me this: Lockdown is nothing more than an attempt to keep collateral damage to a fixed number. Its their (failed) hope that the maximum number of students who will die will be the number locked inside the room or hall with the shooter.

from the Freemendo at Typepad blog 04 November 2007 Lockdown

Lockdown, lockdown, lockdown. No, no, no. When the terrorists began their assault at Beslan, around 40% of the students and staff ran like cuh-razy to get away from the school. A few hid in the boiler room. Every single one of those children and adults lived.

the “freemendo” blogger has quite a bit of relevant background, as his blog shows. Staying in place might
or might not have been a good policy in Huntsville —
ask him and see. But a “lockdown” of the building with
an active shooter leads to disaster.

]]> By: Mr Punch http://www.margaretsoltan.com/?p=21330&cpage=1#comment-15987 Mr Punch Tue, 16 Feb 2010 20:41:58 +0000 http://www.margaretsoltan.com/?p=21330#comment-15987 Good publicity to counter the recent Sherlock Holmes movie. Good publicity to counter the recent Sherlock Holmes movie.

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