By Lauren Knight
Special to In Motion
At the end of fall term, safety on campus was a major concern for Daytona State students due to bomb threats on campus that coincided with acts of domestic terrorism around the United States. Although the threats here were determined to be hoaxes, the anxiety, inconvenience and cost to the College has the Campus Safety department determined to find and punish perpetrators.
Meanwhile, the office is also looking for better ways to inform students when such events occur and the campus community can expect to hear about new innovations in that area as spring semester advances. One of those approaches will be a mobile application that will be announced this month by Campus Safety Director Bill Tillard.
In a presentation during faculty planning week, Tillard also said his officers and DSC administrators are discussing regulations and policies that might be implemented should the Open Carry gun law be passed by the Florida legislature allowing gun owners with permits to holster-up and attend classes. Other campuses across the nation, where such laws have been implemented, are creating their own campus police departments, which, he added, cost of millions of dollars.
Although none of the DSC Campus Safety Officers carry weapons, Daytona State — through a partnership with the Daytona Beach Police Department and Chief Mike Chitwood — does have armed officers on campus.
Two Daytona campus bomb threats in three days during the first week of December worried both students and faculty, as news coverage of mass shootings across the United States and abroad put Americans on edge about active shooters and acts of terrorism. Now, the threats seem to have hit home at Daytona State, since at least one of the bomb threats mentioned ISIS, the terrorist organization behind countless acts of brutality in recent years.
The first bomb threat was Dec. 4, followed by another on Dec. 7. In an earlier incident, a student from Mainland High School, who threatened to shoot up his school, ran across the street to the Daytona State campus while trying to elude authorities. He was quickly apprehended and found to be unarmed.
Campus Safety shut down portions of the campus in all three instances while searching for possible threats, then notified students, staff and faculty through its automated RAVE emergency system.
While he appreciates efforts made, DSC student Chris Frierson says more should be done. “There aren’t enough armed officials on campus. I even considered not going to the main campus because of that.”
These unusual events also have created suspicion among Frierson, and others, about their fellow students. “Everyone and anyone is capable of anything,” he said.
Student William Christen said, “I’m not sure how equipped and qualified security personal are to handle such threats. I worried when they became frequent.”
And he is also a supporter of Florida allowing people to conceal carry because he believes an active shooter would get shot down by gun owners.
Brent Taylor, another student, is philosophical about incidents of gun violence in the United States and on college campuses. “Anywhere you go, the mall or any public place, you must remain vigilant. Anything could happen.”
Even so, DSC’s Emergency Alert System helps many students such as Angela Guy feel safe.
“Whenever something happens I’m always notified right away. I know Campus Safety is and will do anything to keep Daytona State safe when I get those notifications,” she said.
Meanwhile, Tillard emphasizes although the media has focused on the tragedies of gun violence around the country, what people don’t know is that for all those that occur, there are many more that have been prevented thanks to observant citizens. He reminds all on campus and in the community that if they see something unusual, report it to authorities. He urges people to follow their gut instinct if they feel something is out of the ordinary or see anything that raises a red flag.
After all, he said, the life you save me a loved one… or even your own.
As for the recent bomb threats, President Tom LoBasso stated in an e-mail to students and staff, “These senseless acts cost our students, faculty and staff wasted time, frustration and concern, not to mention taxpayer dollars and police officers’ valuable time and effort. Anyone with any information about these incidents, please contact Daytona Beach Police Detective Jayson Wallace at 386-671-5207 or wallacej@dbpd.us.”
Students, staff and faculty also should be sure to keep their emergency response account updated and accurate. To check its status, go to https://www.getrave.com/login/daytonastate.
Most importantly, report any and all suspicious or criminal activity to the Daytona State confidential hotline at 386-506-4500. All calls will be investigated.
– Staff contributed to this report