In a scene played out throughout Plassmann Hall, Room 101 sits empty only minutes before Wednesday's active-shooter emergency drill commences. The room usually hosts a Clare 104 class at this time.
Empty classrooms greeted a fake shooter and the local law enforcement officers trying to track him down Wednesday as St. Bonaventure University students and faculty members decided to take the day off.
“I was supposed to have Intellectual Journey at 8:30 this morning but I decided to sleep in instead,” said freshman Jerome Parrish, a physics major. “I wasn’t about to stay in that classroom for three or four hours.”
Parrish had nothing to worry about, though, as his Clare 101 professor, Jean Dillon, also decided to stay home for the morning.
“Hey, this school never gives us snow days or anything,” said Dillon, an assistant professor of English. “And if you think I was going to be stuck with those freshman for that long, you’re mistaken. Fifty minutes is enough as it is.”
Students and professors alike took Lockdown Day, the popular term for the day of St. Bonaventure’s long-planned active-shooter emergency drill, as an opportunity to play hooky from morning classes and sleep, watch movies or play video games.
“We woke up around 8:30 this morning and had bacon, eggs and mamosas for breakfast in our townhouse,” said Gwen Van Dusen, a senior special education member said. “All of us had classes at 10:30, so they would’ve been cancelled because of the lockdown anyway, but we brought Lockdown Day in with a bang.”
Biology professor Ezra Noonan said he decided not to teach his 8:30 a.m. Biology 101 class, walking his dog in the sunny, 40-degree weather instead.
“It’s not that I think safety’s not important,” Noonan said. “But as world-class assassin, I’m pretty sure I’d be able to hold my own in that type of situation.”
Safety and Security officials said they and local police executed the active-shooter drill, planned for more than a year, with no major problems.
“The fact there were no students to take hostage kind of thwarted our plans, but we made do by using ghost men like in sandlot baseball,” said department spokesman Red Gorlowski. “All in all, we feel prepared.”
Senior Perry Russ, who didn’t have class Wednesday morning anyway, said he barely noticed the drill happening.
“All we did was keep the apartment doors locked and the shades pulled,” said Russ, a physical education major. “Hey, I’m not making light of the situation. I’d rather make light of the fact that I totally pwned my roommates all morning in Gears of War 2.”
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