CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The sights and sounds of Aug. 28 is not going to quickly be forgotten on the College of North Carolina campus.
UNC campus cops say a disgruntled graduate scholar shot and killed professor Zijie Yan within the Caudill Laboratories constructing, shutting down campus for a lot of the day.
One scholar remembered it properly.
“It was kinda scary, and I additionally began a brand new job,” Zoie Smith stated.
The sophomore from Morganton, North Carolina, stated the coed bus she would’ve taken to her work-study task that summer season day would have dropped her off within the heart of chaos.
“I used to be totally on the cellphone with my associates and we heard the sirens. That was fairly loopy,” she stated. “They have been telling folks, like, get inside.”
Now if the identical scenario have been to occur once more, at the very least Smith can let her mother and father know she’s all proper by way of a brand new characteristic referred to as “I am OK” on the Carolina Prepared Security App.
UNC Media Relations employees stated a consumer can choose three cellphone numbers and e mail addresses from their contact listing to avoid wasting for the characteristic. The expertise permits college students to let their mother and father know they’re OK and their location ought to one other disaster on campus come up.
“The creation of this characteristic relies on suggestions from our campus neighborhood, and the brand new software is supposed to present our neighborhood another choice for easy methods to talk with their family members and contacts that they’re okay within the case of a campus emergency,” UNC stated in an announcement.
Smith was constructive concerning the addition. “I’ll say the ‘I’m OK’ factor will assist with issues like what occurred in early August,” she stated.
The announcement was made a day earlier than UNC’s Scholar Nicely-Being Day on campus.
College students gave combined responses about emotions of security on campus the day after the brand new tech was revealed.
Some stated they really feel solely mildly safer for the reason that taking pictures, and others stated they welcome any means to let their household know they’re all proper in the course of a chaotic scenario.
Prioritizing scholar security is one thing interim Chancellor Lee Roberts spoke about on Thursday as properly.
“Security and safety are a precursor to all the pieces else we need to do,” Roberts stated.
He stated the protection of the campus is prime of his listing.
“We usually do have a protected campus, however we do need to be vigilant always about preserving it a protected and safe campus,” Roberts stated.
Even so, Smith, a biology and train science main, stated she hopes she doesn’t need to hunker down in her dorm room once more.
“I feel total Carolina is a protected campus and I feel that was a fluke,” Smith stated of the taking pictures.
The UNC Emergency Administration and Planning Division will oversee the operate and implementation of the app.
Scholar Physique President Christopher Everett couldn’t be reached Thursday to remark.
