76 school shootings. It is only April, and there have been 76 school shootings in 2025, according to the K-12 Violence Project. The terror of going to school and having someone open fire at you is a fear many individuals face. The questions arise: Why is this happening? How do we make schools safer for our kids?
On Wednesday, a shooting occurred at University of Florida Tallahassee, leaving two dead and six others injured. The shooter, 20-year-old Phoenix Ikner, is the stepson of a local sheriff deputy. The acts of this young man have sparked the conversation of gun violence and the need to protect students.
Such deadly acts are not unfamiliar to NIU. On Feb. 14, 2008, a gunman opened fire in an auditorium in Cole Hall, leaving six dead and 21 others injured. Today, a memorial stands outside Cole Hall to remember the students whose lives were taken that day. While this heinous act took place over 17 years ago, it still makes me wonder: what if this happens again? Gun violence in schools has become far too common, and it should not be normalized to have to prepare for fatal acts to occur.
From a students’ perspective, entering a building should not be so accessible to the general public. In order to go to class, all I have to do is open the door to my building and find my classroom. There are no codes, keys or precautions to enter any buildings, with the exception of residence halls. The situation alone is alarming because anyone could enter any building if they had motive to. Following the acts that happened in 2008, it should have led to more safety regulations to keep students and staff safe, yet there is still the possibility that anyone could enter a classroom and harm the students of NIU.
Isabel Herrera, a first-year nursing major, said it is unsafe for anyone to walk into buildings.
“I believe that it is unsafe for just anyone to be able to walk in because you can never really tell who does or does not belong,” Herrera said.
An NIU OneCard, is an identification card that students and staff use for residence halls, dining halls and other services. Since students and staff already possess a OneCard, why not implement a scanning system in order to enter academic buildings? While it may seem like an extra hassle, it can potentially save a student’s life.
Herrera believes that a tap in system on academic buildings would help keep the campus safe from potential shooters.
“I think there should be a ‘tap in’ system on all academic buildings, like the residence halls. I also think NIU should make sure that all their cameras are functioning, and ensure that all their ‘emergency poles’ are also working too,” Herrera said.
These emergency poles are also known as emergency call boxes, that are located around campus and provide a direct call to the police department. However, many of these call boxes are no longer working, as the NIU Safe app has taken its place.
The NIU Safe app provides students with a wide range of safety features that are accessible to the majority of individuals. While this app may be helpful in receiving help quickly and efficiently, it does not decrease the chances that one can walk onto campus and harm others.
It is sad to say that schools and universities should have to implement such precautions; however, the reality is that gun violence is not going away. As previously mentioned, in the last four months of 2025 alone, there have already been 76 school shootings. Sadly these events have not done anything to prevent future shootings.
The events that have taken place and continue to take place spark awareness and sympathy for a short period of time, until the event is soon forgotten. Again, another shooting occurs, then the conversation starts back up again.
How many more students and staff need to die in order for change to happen? How much more fear do individuals need to experience for others to realize that something needs to be done to prevent school shootings? We go to school to learn, not to be scared for our lives.
