CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — UNC Chapel Hill is implementing a new system for emergencies a year after an active shooter shot and killed a professor.
The school is requiring faculty to complete a 25-minute video teaching them what to do in various situations.
An active shooting sent the campus on lockdown for hours. Police eventually arrested Tailei Qi accused of killing professor Zijie Yan. The school is trying to ensure everyone is prepared as many people expressed, they weren't last fall.
Run, hide, fight. It's a protocol taught to all students, but for UNC students, it's particularly poignant. Paris Griffin was on campus when a gunman shot and killed Professor Zijie Yan.
"I was like, 'Oh, my gosh, what just happened?' I called my parents and started running. I saw a lot of students running as well," Griffin said.
In response to the tragedy, UNC is taking steps to ensure faculty are better prepared for any future incidents. All faculty members are now required to complete a 25-minute training course.
"You can't prevent these things from happening completely," said Neha Srinivasa, a UNC student. "But we can understand how to react and effectively manage these kinds of unprecedented situations."
The university's goal is to familiarize faculty with the campus, including shelter-in-place locations, evacuation routes, how to lock every door, and how to use the university's alert system.
"It definitely lingers in the back of my mind, like, when is it going to happen again?" Griffin added.
The reality of a potential school shooter has become a part of students' daily lives, similar to fire or tornado drills.
"I think this is a very similar precautionary measure," Srinivasa noted. "Unfortunately, it is the reality of our communities."
Griffin echoed these sentiments, saying, "I feel like every school should be prepared to do something like this. It just upsets me that they weren't really prepared the first time."
Faculty have until Aug. 19 to finish the training which is the first day of class for UNC students.
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