As an RA, I have had to go through training teaching me how to deal with many different problematic situations. I have been trained in CPR, dealing with unruly residents and basic emotional counseling among other things. 

The training I have gone through that has stuck out the most was V.I.D.S training which is put on by UNI Public Safety. V.I.D.S. stands for Violent Incident Defense Strategies. 

This session trains individuals how to react if an active shooter were on campus.

I cringe at the thought of an active shooter coming to our campus. No one wants to think someone would come to school with the intent to commit mass murder, but it is a thought that has become increasingly present during our generation. 

According to the fact-checking website Politifact, since the Sandy Hook tragedy in December 2012, there have been ten other mass shooting sprees like the tragedies at Sandy Hook or Columbine. Half of these shootings have been on college campuses. 

V.I.D.S training provides knowledge of what to do if an active shooter were to be on our campus. It provides the insight on how to lead a classroom of people in the event of an active shooter incident. 

For that reason, I believe professors and faculty members should be required to take this course. Professors are the heads of the classroom as they naturally command the attention of their students. 

Because of this, they can use V.I.D.S. training to inform their students about what to do in the event of a shooter on campus. 

Professors are usually the first target because they are at the front of the classroom. Knowing how to defend themselves and their students in these situations is vital in maintaining the safety of the classroom.

Of the 435 staff and faculty who have taken V.I.D.S. training, an overwhelming majority have been staff members, according to Lt. Joe Tyler, who helps to run the program. 

In a school with over 700 faculty members less than one-fourth have taken the training. This fact highlights a lack of knowledge that should be seriously looked at by faculty leadership.  

In circumstances that involve student safety, it is better to be proactive than reactive. As an NISG Senator last year, I worked with the NISG Senate on passing a resolution which said faculty and staff leadership should look into requiring V.I.D.S. training be taken by all faculty and staff members. 

I believe that the students’ voice in this issue is an important one. 

While I don’t always believe in the adage “it is better to be safe than sorry,” in this circumstance knowing how great this program is I would encourage everyone and especially faculty members to take this course. 

You never know when it might come in handy.