Molloy College takes security seriously

The shooting at Umpqua Community College on Oct. 1 affected many people across the nation. For colleges, it was a grisly reminder of why they all have policies in place for a shooter on campus.

Like colleges across the country, local schools all have plans in place in the event a shooter comes onto campus. Most schools have plans for a gunman on campus, called an active shooter, posted on their websites for the public to review.

Many of them are very similar: students and staff should stay in classrooms and lock and barricade the doors, if possible. Close the windows and blinds and keep away from the windows.

“Guns are not allowed on campus,” said Bob Houlihan, the vice president of student affairs at Molloy College. “We would report it to Rockville Centre and have them come on campus. We work very closely with the Rockville Centre Police Department.”

All local colleges have plans for shooters. Many also offer services for students who are dealing with mental illnesses, in the hope of stopping any possible violence before it happens.

“We have personal counselors on campus,” Houlihan said of Molloy. “And we have a working relationship with LIJ. They have a program specifically for college-aged students, and we work closely with them.”

Molloy, like other schools, also trains its staff and faculty for signs of mental illness and what could be the warning signs of possible violence. They are also trained for active shooter scenarios.

But with the prevalence of campus shootings (there were two more — one in Arizona and one in Texas — since the Oregon shooting, schools need to be proactive with security.

“We have to be consistent. We have to be on guard,” said Houlihan. “We have to continually be looking ahead and anticipate situations.”

To that end, Molloy has developed a new app that it will be rolling out soon to help students during an emergency. In an emergency, people can open the app and hit a button, and the nearest school security camera will find them.

“And we’ll be able to not only see it on camera, but send a public safety officer over to you,” Houlihan said. “Probably within 30 seconds to a minute.”