Dear Editor,
My name is Darcey Morris, and I teach 86 students every Monday and Wednesday afternoon in the library auditorium. Before class on Monday, I received frantic emails from students unable to access the building because of the police presence. Students already in the classroom were confused and scared. We debated what to do as they got texts from friends about a possible shooter and library evacuation. No one ever entered the auditorium to check on us or tell us to evacuate. No alerts or messages were sent to the UT community either during or after this situation. What even is the Safe at UT app for if not this moment?
Like many, I’ve read articles the past few days in the The Daily Beacon, The New York Times, Wired and Inside Higher Ed. These articles provided context and clarity about what we experienced Monday. I do not understand why I am learning more from outside sources than from my own university home. The articles shared how other schools responded and communicated during and after such incidents. The statement Public Information Officer Ryan Moore gave to The Daily Beacon was that the police knew all along it was a hoax. I wish that sentiment had been shared with the UT community. I can understand why in the moment it was not, but what I cannot understand is the overall silence. Students were traumatized. They are still afraid. And the university has said nothing to us other than statements provided to media. It is unacceptable.
My Monday class reconvened in the auditorium yesterday afternoon, and I faced questions from students that I could not answer. They are still confused and scared. I beg of you, please talk to them. Please reassure them. Tell them how quickly and bravely officers responded. Tell them you are investigating this hoax and are trying to find and punish those responsible. Talk to them directly, not just in official statements. You must know how terrifying it was for students to see large numbers of officers with guns in a place where they should feel safe. Mass shootings occur regularly in this country; young children were gunned down yesterday in Minnesota. UT students are aware of the dangerous society we live in, and we all need words of reassurance at times of terror. Saying nothing only increases those feelings of terror.
Thank you,
Darcey
Darcey Morris is a professor of cinema studies at UT. She can be reached at [email protected].
Columns and letters of The Daily Beacon are the views of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Beacon or the Beacon’s editorial staff.
