Letter: Let’s address holes in campus security

Saturday, April 21, 2007 | 7:10 a.m.

Regarding the Las Vegas Sun's April 19 editorial "Emergence of a true hero":

Liviu Librescu was a hero, indeed. And, he will be remembered as a hero. However, I hope his sacrifice at Virginia Tech will not have been in vain. Will it act as the catalyst for addressing holes in campus security? Only time will tell.

Friday marked the eight-year anniversary of the Columbine massacre but, judging as a college student, campuses don't appear more prepared today than they were then to face the threat of violence, especially in light of the fact that the most recent incident shares similarities with the eight-year - old tragedy. Here are some questions to ponder:

Where are the locks on the inside of the classroom doors that would have served in place of a human shield? Where are the security ladders from second-story and higher windows for students to escape safely? Where are the emergency alarms (not just fire alarms) in the classrooms that signal a threat? Where are the metal detectors that deter weapons? Where are the fire extinguishers in each classroom that could be used as weapons?

The perpetrator deliberately trapped people to make them vulnerable to the attack. But an increase in the security measures, as mentioned above, could have saved lives. The next question that comes to mind at this point is who is going to pay for all of these security features? Whose responsibility is it to ensure that the student s are provided a safe environment - the school or the student?

Corey Coleman, Las Vegas