Safety should remain constant priority at UK

With the rise in school-related emergencies, the safety of college campuses is becoming a major concern and it is clear why UK, like many other universities nationwide, is making such concerted efforts to enhancing the various safety measures around campuses.

Just a year ago, campus safety plans were minimal at best. Most buildings didn’t even have safety plans at all. Other buildings falsely displayed signs that advertised a non-existent security. UK Alert, crime bulletins and campus jurisdiction were often vague and lacking the necessary instantaneous priority of such a high threat.

Over the course of the summer not only were plans developed for buildings lacking safety strategy, but evacuation plans were reviewed to ensure they were up to par. Security signs have been removed and, while safety updates are still fluid initiatives, they are better than where they were.

Taking action is undoubtedly the correct measure to protect the well-being of the students. However, the proactivity exhibited has to continue into the future. Never again can safety get to the point where it was as recently as last fall.

Parents have enough on their minds to be worried about with rising cost of tuition and the academic success of their children. Even though it’s natural for mom and dad to wonder about day-to-day safety, the fear of a fire, shooting or chemical leak shouldn’t be at the forefront of their minds.

It’s admirable that there are drafts for building safety plans and that students are not only receiving honest information in shorter amounts of time, but the safety time frame is now. Perhaps more can be done on a voluntary basis to help expedite the process. Maybe it takes a larger safety budget.

Campus safety is a perpetual initiative that requires constant effort and a clear cut, transparent system. Students need to know where they can go for assistance, who they can contact and who they can trust with their lives.

Students also have to be responsible for their own safety, demanding that more should be done while taking preventative steps. Limiting unsafe behavior ranging from walking alone at night to abiding by dormitory fire codes goes just as far as UK installing security cameras. As much as authorities need too look out for us, we need to look out for ourselves.

Safety will continue to remain a work in progress, but how much we achieve in this constant battle depends on how seriously and thoroughly we assert ourselves to the problem.