Here at Ohio University, the administration reacted to the Virginia Tech tragedy with all the nimbleness of a stampeding wildebeest. Meetings were held. Opinions were heard. Minutes were taken. After 10 weeks, the head honchos sprang into action.

Instead of locking the outside doors on dormitories at night, they were now to be locked at all times. A public relations campaign was started, warning students about the dangers of letting strangers into the dorms. As with almost every other public relations campaign, it was generally scoffed at and ignored. Now, a campus-wide siren system is in place. Some students signed up to receive text messages in case of danger.

It’s my opinion that the campus was secure as it was, before the token gestures at security.

Campus police maintained friendly relations with the student population, resident assistants and security assistants did rounds through the dorms to maintain a presence, and emergency help was but a push of a callbox button away. Better yet, if anyone does not feel safe walking in an area, they can call for a free escort from the Safety Patrol.

Is appearing safe the same thing as actually being safe? I don’t know, but my gut instinct says that Ohio University is, and still is, a generally safe campus. The extra security measures seem tacked on — and unnecessary.

Preparing for “what if” situations is a good thing, but if you’re doing it because everyone else is, then you’re doing it wrong.