Upcoming lockdown drill at Oklahoma Christian University

Photo by: Will Gentry

 

Would Oklahoma Christian University be prepared if a gunman entered campus? After a lock-down drill the school hopes to answer yes. The lockdown drill could take place anytime between now and Feb. 14.

Director of Academic Excellence and retired fire fighter Dean Findley is helping Oklahoma Christian with the lockdown drill procedures, after Vice President and Dean of Student Life Neil Arter asked him to come on board.

According to Findley, the reason for doing a lockdown drill now is to get the school prepared. He didn’t know why Oklahoma Christian picked this month to perform the drill, but was adamant that it was a positive decision.

“You need to practice several times a year,” Findley said.

Findley does not know the exact date that the drill will happen, but verified it will be sometime before Valentine’s Day.

He said if people are outside during the drill, they need to go to the forum, and if there is an actual threat then people need to get off campus.

“If you were outside, go the opposite way,” Findley said.

His main overall question for the procedure and the reason for it was, “Can we do it?”

Oklahoma Christian University sophomore and University House RA Claire Gause familiarized herself with the lockdown drill procedure. The reason why Oklahoma Christian is doing it now, in Gause’s opinion, is because of all of recent violence and other school shootings that have taken place across the country.

“We need to know how to react if something were to happen,” Gause said.

Gause provided more insight on what to do during the drill.

“Students and staff are to lock themselves in a room away from windows, and make sure that they lock the door and keep down low below something,” Gause said. “If there are any windows they need to close all of the blinds and try to get as far away from it as possible.”

Gause confirmed that the forum is the place to go for students who are outside during the drill.

“But during a real lockdown you’re to get off campus as fast as possible,” Gause said.

She said the sad and scary thing about a lockdown is that once the doors are locked you are not allowed to open the door for anyone.

“I think that’s why it’s an important thing to practice now,” Gause said.

She also explained what the procedure is if someone is in his or her dorm room.

“Stay in the room, get far away from windows,” Gause said.

Gause said the drill would keep students and faculty safe because by practicing, people will not be caught off-guard. The lockdown provides the people with a sense of what they’re supposed to do.

“If something did happen it might be more chaotic [without the drill],” Gause said.

Texts and emails will alert students, faculty and staff when the drill happens. To those not reachable by text or email, the school will post Twitter and Facebook alerts.

Gause assured that the people who do not receive the campus texts or who don’t own an iPhone should not worry.

“I am pretty sure that there will be people on campus [to tell them], because there will be a receptionist on campus who will notify everyone,” Gause said.

Sophomore Adam Ferber said that a reason to do the drill now is because drills will be required by law later in the year.

“If they’re starting now then they’ll already be ready for it by the time that it’s required by the state,” Ferber replied.

Ferber said the drill is part of the school doing what they can to keep student and faculty safe.

Ferber agreed with Gause that students who don’t have the student messaging on their cell phones should not worry, but stay alert.

“There should be someone there to tell you,” Ferber said. “They’ll try to make sure that everyone’s in a secure place. They’ll probably be patrolling around the campus to make sure that nobody’s outside.”

If something were to actually happen on campus, Feber affirmed that people should head back to the dorms, any other safe place or follow where other people are going.