ORLANDO, Fla. – A day after a fatal shooting at Florida State University in Tallahassee, students at the University of Central Florida spoke with News 6 to provide their reactions.
Riley Meeks, a UCF student, expressed his concerns, stating, “I open up my phone when I wake up and see text there was a shooting at FSU. I have friends that go there, so like, first thought I think when I wake up was I gotta text my friends, make sure they’re OK.”
Meeks said he’s concerned those texts are becoming part of normal life.
Not far away, UCF police beefed up their police presence on campus just a day after a mass shooting at FSU killed 2 and left several others injured.
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Garrett East, another UCF student, remarked, “You can never have too many security or police officers around, making sure we’re getting a class safe. That’s all that really matters. It’s a horrible thing that happened at FSU, and obviously, we don’t wanna see that happening anywhere.”
Jenna Mazzoli, also a UCF student, added, “I think they should’ve been enforced already that police should be everywhere. I mean, we have on campus the yellow temples where we can press if we need help, but they’re not always like everywhere.”
The students said they’re heartbroken to hear about the tragedy in Tallahassee, but they said that unfortunately, school shootings are nothing new for them.
Juliet Desouza, a UCF student, stated, “It’s definitely incredibly sad that we’ve become desensitized to it and that we just kind of expected, but it doesn’t lessen the tragedy or the effects that we have to take to make sure they stop.”
Liv Cruze commented, “Mass shooting in America, especially school shootings. I mean, coming from high school, elementary school, all like the drills and stuff, it just kind of something that never stops.”
Some students believe boosting mental health and tighter restrictions on gun laws could help. They also believe there is a solution to the problem, but finding the answer seems nearly impossible.
Kyle McGann, a UCF student, explained, “I mean, the problem is you can’t go through every single student that comes out in every single person that comes on the campus and search them to see if they have a gun. It’s kind of a problem of like personal safety and also liberties.”
The university opened up a space in the Live Oak Event Center on Friday for healing and comfort during this tough time. They’re also offering mental health services to faculty, staff, and students.