A college student in Colorado was recently arrested after murdering his two roommates following a month of reported disputes university officials did nothing about.
This calls into question how safe students truly are on college campuses.
The shooting happened on the morning of Feb. 16 at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs and left one roommate charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
University officials would be lying if they said they could guarantee the safety of every student on their campus at all times, but measures can be taken that can improve the quality of security for their students.
University officials and campus police at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs were notified of disputes between one of the deceased roommates and the killer in early January. The shooter reportedly told his roommate he would “kill him” if he was asked to take out the trash again, according to recently released court documents.
The court documents did not give any indication that university officials made any attempts to remove the killer from his room or to separate the individuals, ultimately culminating in this senseless tragedy.
The blame always lies primarily with the shooter, but the university’s lack of action only helped to solidify what was to come.
Rather than taking measures that could prevent the purchase of a firearm or mental health services that could provide treatment for the troubled individual before the tragedy ever happens, we are often scrambling for answers once the damage has already been done.
Gun violence has become an epidemic in America, becoming the number one cause of death for Americans under 18 in 2020 and homicide being a top three cause of death for those aged 18-25.
College campuses are supposed to be safe places where students are free to learn and grow, not yet another place where the fear of violence looms overhead at all times.
Colleges in America should do more to protect their students and need to do so until this nation’s gun problems are properly addressed.
More resources should be diverted to mental health services and counseling centers so troubled students have help available when they need it most.
The conversation surrounding mental health should continue to be discussed openly to combat the stigma around it.
Campus officials and campus police should take threats and reports of violence seriously, investigate them properly and then take precautionary measures, even temporary ones, to prevent tragedies like the one in Colorado.
Progress can always be made when trying to protect innocent lives and colleges around the country should take the Colorado shooting as a learning opportunity and strive to do better for their students and their faculty.
But of course, that’s just one man’s opinion.
Categories: Opinion
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