By now everyone has heard of the tragic shooting that occurred over the weekend in Five Points. But this news wasn’t delivered by USC’s Carolina Alert system. Students found out through the grapevine and Twitter accounts like Drinking Ticket. But shouldn’t the school feel responsible to their student body and report an incident of such gravity? Apparently, they don’t think so.
The Carolina Alert system is advertised as a system in place to warn students of incidents that they should be aware of or could be harmful to their safety. Students receive emails and texts when these events occur. But this extends only to events that are on campus and in situations that place students in immediate danger.
In regards to the shooting, the incident took place off campus and the man was immediately arrested. No other students seemed to be in immediate danger due to the fact that police were already on the scene. But it still seems wrong that the university didn’t feel that this incident wasn’t something that their student body needed to be alerted to immediately. The gravity of the situation was so immense and students were still heading to and from Five Points.
Other incidents, though none that have had the same severity or impact, have been pushed aside as well. There have been countless times where Drinking Ticket seemed a more reliable source for staying safe at the university and its surrounding areas. On occasions it would take even up to 16 hours after the incident for students to be informed. This was the case of an attempted robbery in Bull Street garage earlier in September. Students should know immediately so they can be wary of suspicious activity that is happening at their school.
Events that impact the student body so severely, such as this one, should be events that all students are alerted to immediately. They can make more informed decisions and stay informed about serious situations. It shouldn’t matter if it happens to take place off campus. Places like Five Points and surrounding areas have such an effect on their students’ lives that the university should still keep their students updated. Hopefully, the system improves to one which all significant and dangerous events can be reported to their students in a timely manner.