Today at Purdue there was a shooting. You can read the newspaper story here, or here, or here (post script: more articles on the shooting, one is a short history of gun violence at Purdue, a day after summary by the local paper, and a link to a CNN article that is interesting because of the comments...predictably they have nothing to do with Purdue and instead are people arguing about gun regulations in the abstract).
At about 12:15 I was sitting in the library reading when I got a text from campus safety that read, "Shooting reported on campus. Bldg Electrical Engineering; Avoid area; Shelter in place. Check (website) for updates." It seemed a little bit unbelievable. I looked around and others were reading their phones. We looked at each other, but eventually we all went back to what we were doing. I can't speak for them, but I figured that if something was really happening, I would get another text or hear an announcement. Since I was sitting pretty far back in the library I also figured that I'd have time act if the trouble came closer. I could see nothing from the windows and had no other information. So, I sat. There was an announcement, and we all stood up and exited the library into the foyer, receiving vague instructions to head into the shelter in the basement. Some people went, and some people, like me lingered, and went back into the library, back into the back of the library and sat down. I texted with some friends on campus, all was well, and messaged for a while with an off campus friend. All clear text messages were sent out by campus safety, and that was that. I got a burrito with a friend, stopped by the IRB office (Institutional Review Board, they handle the ethics of studies that involve human subjects), and went home, unsure of what exactly went on today. I'm certain that over the next couple days some answers will be provided.
At about 12:15 I was sitting in the library reading when I got a text from campus safety that read, "Shooting reported on campus. Bldg Electrical Engineering; Avoid area; Shelter in place. Check (website) for updates." It seemed a little bit unbelievable. I looked around and others were reading their phones. We looked at each other, but eventually we all went back to what we were doing. I can't speak for them, but I figured that if something was really happening, I would get another text or hear an announcement. Since I was sitting pretty far back in the library I also figured that I'd have time act if the trouble came closer. I could see nothing from the windows and had no other information. So, I sat. There was an announcement, and we all stood up and exited the library into the foyer, receiving vague instructions to head into the shelter in the basement. Some people went, and some people, like me lingered, and went back into the library, back into the back of the library and sat down. I texted with some friends on campus, all was well, and messaged for a while with an off campus friend. All clear text messages were sent out by campus safety, and that was that. I got a burrito with a friend, stopped by the IRB office (Institutional Review Board, they handle the ethics of studies that involve human subjects), and went home, unsure of what exactly went on today. I'm certain that over the next couple days some answers will be provided.
