When I am dealing with a hostile student, my husband sometimes “jokes” that I need to be careful so that I am not shot on campus. Unfortunately, his macabre humor is a way to deal with an all too real situation that faculty face. Campus shootings, such as the one that took place at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte are not longer “Breaking News.” Gun violence is just so common that a shooter who “only” kills two people in a classroom–although there could be more victims—is becoming normal. The old adage that “if it bleeds, it leads” no longer seems to apply like it once did.

I remember it was just a few years ago when an angry father of one of my students closed my office door while making hostile comments. Because he was standing between me and the exit, I was essentially trapped in my office. An administrator criticized me for overreacting by calling campus police. That evening, my husband joked that, given the administrative response, he was going to some day be a rich widower.

Today’s shooting hit a bit closer to home than most because I have a friend who teaches at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He was not on campus when the gunman opened fire. Although I have already made plans as to how I could defend myself in my office and my students in the classroom, I can only guess at how my friend must feel. But I do know his initial reaction; a reaction that I share.

My friend wrote:

I’m supposed to go to a workshop on campus tomorrow. I don’t know if campus will be open or if the workshop will still happen, but if it happens, I will certainly be there. The best way I can combat domestic terrorism is to do my job of teaching communication and critical thinking.

On an individual level, we need to do our jobs. Otherwise, the domestic terrorists win. But we also must agitate for reasonable gun laws, increased mental health services, and other actions that will provide safer environments. Afterall, I would prefer that my husband not become a rich widower.

–Steven L. Berg, PhD

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