X JIN: ‘Practice makes perfect’: Douglas College lockdown edition » Do lockdown drills really help? EG Manilag Staff Writer hen it comes to an event of a violent intruder on campus, in a matter of seconds, things can go terribly south. So be prepared. I was making my way to my psychology class at the David Lam campus when a pamphlet was handed down to me from a security staff that said, “lockdown drill today.’ At the back were the safety tips and reasons for doing the drill. It was around 10 a.m. when a beeping sound from the PA system permeated the whole room—it was time for the lockdown. The professor instructed us to lock and barricade the door, cover the windows, turn off lights, set our phones to silent, and go to the back of the classroom staying low and staying quiet. About eight minutes later, an all-clear message was given from the PA, the drill was over, and classes resumed. A lot came into my mind after the drill, especially the thought that what if it was real? Would I be safe in that scenario? Will I have a greater chance of surviving because I followed the instructions? Lockdown drills are practiced in an unlikely event of a violent intruder, particularly active shooters. It is a set of procedures designed to keep occupants in a building prepared and safe. Especially in our neighboring country the US, lockdown drills are prevalently intensified since mass shootings are more common across their country. According to ABC News, there have been at least 19 deadly mass shootings in the US so far in 2019. Canada, on the other hand, has relatively low records on mass shootings in the recent years, thankfully, but the Canadian government's efforts of preparation for public safety are stern. Evie Blad, a writer for Education Week, specifies that many parents, however, oppose to such instruction for they deem trauma and other psychological effects to be ingrained among their children. They also petitioned that drills are more likely to be counterproductive, rather than helpful to their kids. Mr. Spencer Bokat-Lindell, a writer in The New York Times, states in his article, “Tt’s Sick That We Have to Do This’: Do We Really Need Shooter Drills,” that as traumatizing as mass shootings are, the chances of being killed in one is equivalent to being struck by lightning, very rare. With all these being said, why continue making drills? When all it does is, more likely than not, damage kids? “But fires are also rare,” said Dan Rambler, Akron Elementary School district director of student services and safety, “and that doesn’t stop schools from conducting regular fire drills.” Rambler offers a noteworthy view. As a matter of fact, because of regular fire drills being conducted in schools, students are more aware of where emergency exits, and safety routes are. Likewise, Alan Kazdin, professor of psychology and child psychiatry at Yale University, told NBC News that “repetition” is more important than “realism.” He said, “when you have fire drills, you don’t put smoke in the hallways. ... You don’t have people panicking. But you practice it often enough, so people know what they’re doing.” Ultimately, they argue that preparing for the worst, is the least that all Have an idea for a story? M opinions@theotherpress.ca > of us can do. Now, for me, lockdown drills are the government's initiative for public safety. It is highly debated and scrutinized— going through a series of voting and approvals—before enforcing it to schools and other institutions. Rather than disproving it, critics should at least suggest improvements as to how the school, their safety team, or the police initiate techniques and precautionary measures in an unlikely event. Even though it is very unlikely to happen, by repeating and internalizing the directives, we can be calmer and more prepared when it happens, knock on wood. Lockdown drills should be often Enough with public proposals » Confess your love to your partner, not the world Jessica Berget Editor-in-Chief Cc me old-fashioned, but I believe proposals should be something that is solely between you and the person you love. A special moment for you both to share your love and dedication to each other. Unfortunately, I feel like the people who do it use them to brazenly put their tee love on display. The worst part? They don’t even ask their partners if they are okay with it or if they even like public gestures of love. Public proposals are like surprise parties; people are either going to love them and want to be celebrated in a public way, or they detest them and hate any form of public surprises. Personally, I am of the latter, and I’m sure many would agree with me. And in fact, many do. Ina US poll done by VeraQuest research in 2016, they found that 84 percent of respondents said they preferred a private proposal with their partners. If you are unsure what they would prefer, the best thing to do is just ask. If you are planning to ask them to marry you, you should at least know how they feel about public proposals. The main problem I have with asking someone to marry you in a public place is that you're putting them on the spot. It forces the person being proposed to feel like they have to say yes because there are so many people watching. Being asked to marry someone while many people are watching is a lot of pressure. This is coercion and it is never under any circumstances the right way to ask someone to spend their life with you. The audience also plays a big part in proposals and also may encourage the person being proposed to say yes, especially if there is any hesitation on their part. Another form of public proposals that I take issue with are public prom proposals. J have seen many viral videos of teenagers asking their classmates to go to prom with them and I hate it, even if they say yes and it has a happy ending. There is something wrong about this trend of young kids publicly asking the people that they have a crush on to go to prom with ¢ Do lockdown drills really help? ¢ ADHD: behind the stereotypes ¢ 'Tough love' isn't an excuse ..and more Photo by Billy Bui done in schools for anything can happen at anytime. Going back to Douglas College’s lockdown drill, was it effective? Will I be safer because I now know the drill? Definitely. I am for sure that I know how to be safe when the unlikely is going to happen because basically, I already know the drill, and I can anticipate the possible scenarios and be calmer. Practice does not just make you perfect, it keeps you prepared and safe. For tips on what to do in an unlikely event like this, go to: https://www. douglascollege.ca/about-douglas/safety- security-risk-management/lockdown- procedures them with elaborate signs and candles and all that junk. Isn’t high school hard enough without having to worry about asking someone you have a crush on toa dance in front of all your friends and peers? Think of how devastating it would be to be that kid who gets rejected in front of the entire school. As someone with extremely low self-esteem in high school, that is nightmare fuel. I think any form of public proposals are cringy to watch, even if they do say yes, and especially if the other person says no or is obviously uncomfortable. You should never force someone to go through as awkward a situation as this. Unless the both of you have talked about it before and both like the idea of public proposals, don’t do it.