Editor,
Wednesday I was enjoying lunch, reviewing for a quiz, and chatting with some friends in the ANTS lounge in the bottom level of the SUB.
In the mayhem that ensued, I saw a little girl with her mother, crying hysterically, trying to flee the SUB and not be trampled by this “mob.” I was horrified.
I know, I know, this was a joke. It was not an act of violence in the strictest sense, but think about it. How are we promoting a culture of safety on campus if we are simulating gunfire and terrorizing our student population? I was quite angry when I went to Student Activities on Wednesday and demanded to know if this was a school-sponsored event. I was told that it was approved, and that campus authorities and police knew about it. If this was the case, why didn’t they send us a Lobo Text to let us know we were not under siege?
This was an irresponsible act. We have children on this campus every day. My daughter was here Tuesday, my son a week ago. Seeing that little girl and her mother running for cover broke my heart. As a nontraditional student, too, I know many student veterans who have witnessed real-life gunfire, and I can’t imagine how this affected them.
Many of the participants of this “flash mob” are too young to remember the school shootings at Columbine, at Jonesboro, maybe even Virginia Tech.
For those who participated Wednesday and do remember these tragic events, I have to ask, “How could you?” For those who approved this event, “What were you thinking?” Isn’t life scary enough?
I expect to feel safe on campus. I am not the only one who felt a lot less safe Wednesday, and I am not the only one who is really angry.
Cara Valente-Compton
UNM student
