Katelyn Freil

According to UAPD Lt. Chad Cunningham, over 30,000 people have been trained in a program that teaches them how to defend themselves during active shooter situations.

ALiCE, which stands for “Alert, Lockdown, inform, Counter and Evacuate,” is a nationally-known program that was formed in response to the school shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999, according to the UA website.

“Think about how much of our community go out to eat, the mall, places of worship, movies, etc.,” Cunningham, who has been an ALiCE instructor since 2008, said. “Everywhere we go there has been a active shooter threat somewhere in the United States.”

Cunningham said that these training sessions are meant to help people in those situations.

“I want our University community to know what to do when this event happens so that they can increase their survivability,”

According to Cunningham, nothing has been changed in the training in light of recent school shootings.

“The concept has always been increasing the survivability of the people involved in the event for the past five years,”
he said.

People who attend these events include staff and students of all different ages.

He also said that feedback from attendees at the sessions has been positive, saying that many leave with a feeling of empowerment and understanding.

Training sessions are being held through April 9 in the Student Union.

If unable to attend a training session, students and faculty can still visit the UA safety webstie where a video has been posted by University of Akron officials involved with the ALiCE program. This video explains a variety of different precautions and tips that students can take around campus if they are faced with an active shooter situaition.

Tips from the video include calling the UAPD dispatcher at (330) 972-2911 and answering all of the dispatcher’s questions, including the person’s description and what type of weapon they are carrying. Students should also remember the blue emergency lights located around campus.

The video also provided information about what to do in a lockdown situation. If people are in rooms from which they cannot escape, they should lock the door. Since many of the doors around UA’s campus do not lock, they should barricade the door, or put a belt or some other cord around the door handle to anchor it shut if it opens outward.

According to the tips given in the video, if an intruder comes into a room, the people inside should spread out instead of going under desks or hiding in the corner. This creates a distraction. They should also prepare to face the intruder or escape.

If there is an emergency situation, students will be warned through the outdoor alarm system and texts to students signed up for Z-Alert. Dispatchers can also issue warnings to various buildings around campus.

To see the full video, go to uakron.edu/safety/police/services/training.dot.