On the first Wednesday of every month, my university tests its emergency alert systems. Mainly, this means that if you have signed up your e-mail and phone to get messaged alerts, at noon you get an e-mail and a text message saying, "This is a test of the emergency alert system." I'm signed up to get emergency alerts mostly because I'm hoping that with any luck we'll get at least one snow day this year, and there's nothing I hate more than having to get up early on a potential snow day just to check the internet to see if classes are in fact cancelled. Now I'll just get a text message if classes are cancelled and I never have to get out of bed on snow days at all! This is a nifty system, my friends.
The other part of the emergency alert system is a siren that blares across campus. It sounds like a tornado siren. Today was my second time hearing it, and it dawned on me as the siren went off when I was in the middle of taking role for one of my discussion sections that I have no idea what we're actually supposed to DO if the siren goes off for real. Does the siren mean that we should all leave our buildings and congregate somewhere on campus? Does it mean we stay where we are? Lock the doors? Duck under the desks? Run to a basement in case a tornado is coming? Find the nearest nuclear fallout shelter?
I have absolutely no idea. I asked my students and none of them seem to know either, although one of my favorite students helpfully suggested, "Panic!!"
So I ask you, what exactly is the point of a warning siren if nobody seems to have any clue what it is supposed to be warning us about? I guess if the siren ever goes off for real I'll just wait for an explanatory text message. Because I'm sure that in a real emergency, there will be plenty of time for composing and sending such text messages.
That's all I have for today, America's Next Top Model is on and I have once again procrastinated on my work for my Thursday night class but I really need to finish it tonight because Mari, Stacy and I are going on a taco truck hunt tomorrow afternoon. Sweet.
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This is the *exact* problem that occurred at a college campus in VA when the Virginia Tech shootings happened (not VTech, mind you -- another open campus nearby). Students were like, "Is this just a random test? If it's not, do we leave, do we lock ourselves up? OMG, what do we do?" And those were the ones that actually heard the emergency sirens...all of five percent of the student population.
I know they're in place for a reason, but sometimes the things we do as a society to feel safe are just a big joke.
Just one more, in case you're still feeling safe: Once, after the terrorist bombing in London, the MBTA police came by with dogs to sniff the Boston trains. These dogs? They were trained to smell out dead bodies -- not bombs. My tax money pays for some of this crap. That's the part that really burns.
Upon re-reading that it makes it sound like I'm some sort of pessimistic anarchist...and maybe I am :) But I think as long as we're alert and lucky...well, you just can't prevent some things!
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