Heading to school with a motivation to learn, interact with friends and the peace of mind knowing that it is a safe place is what every student wants. However, after each mass shooting that happens on a school campus, that dream drifts farther away.
On March 27 a gunman entered The Covenant School in Nashville TN and took the lives of three students and three faculty. This sparked walkouts from students across the country and protests in Nashville which brought the topic of gun control back into the spotlight. The gunman was a former student and had been planning the attack for months, going as far as drawing maps and conducting surveillance of the school. It’s possible that having a school map online that is easily accessible can increase the risk that it could be used with malicious intent but not having a map won’t stop a person who already has their mind made up.
Our campus’s digital map which has been recently updated is easily found on the Sonoma State website and gives a great view of the campus and points of interest on it. It’s a great resource for new students or guests that are unfamiliar with the campus. The map however only shows the building locations and does not have any interior layouts which some students see as a minor inconvenience. Sam Sullivan, a second-year biology major said,“I used the online map once when I was new but since they didn’t have classroom information I was kinda confused”. Even with a map and general idea of where certain buildings are it’s still hard for some to find classrooms.
According to the U.S. Government Accountability office, half of all school shootings were committed by current or former students as was the case in Nashville. So even if there was no map available online the likelihood that a student or former student knows exit routes and specific classroom locations is very high. First-year undecided student Paige Foster said,“If somebody really wanted to cause harm to us on campus and they are a student I don’t see how not having a map would stop them.” In the rare case that it’s not a current or former student the online map would give them an idea as to where students could potentially be.
Second-year business major Ivan Morales said, “If they know where all the buildings are because of our online map it would make it a whole lot easier to find people just walking to and from class.”
The campus map that we have is an excellent way of getting to know your surroundings and a helpful tool for those who need it. Just like any other tool it can be misused and utilized for things that it was not intended for. Perhaps it would be best to restrict access to campus maps to students and faculty through a portal that requires a login, however that would only work if the person is not a student. Taking away online maps or restricting access to them is only a bandaid on a much bigger problem.
