Active shooter training could soon be required at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill after a deadly on-campus shooting.
The training is one of many recommendations in a newly-released action report detailing the Aug. 28 shooting, when graduate student Tailei Qi was charged with the murder of his professor, Dr. Zijie Yan.
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The shooting led to an hours-long campus wide lockdown before Qi was captured.
According to UNC, the report is the result of months of planning. The university employed a third-party group to conduct a review about its response to the shooting, which includes interviews and feedback from more than 70 people.
"Just being more knowledgeable and prepared makes everyone feel better and safer," one UNC student said.
The five-page report lists recommendations for UNC, which include creating centralized guidelines for building safety, upgrading camera systems and ensuring classrooms lock from the inside, among other suggestions.
"I know through k-12 we’ve gotten some experience with what to do in those situations, but it’s obviously very different from being on a college campus," student said.
The report indicates UNC needs a greater variety of training and suggests mandatory active shooting training for faculty and staff and armed assailant training for new student orientations.
In a statement, the university said it will explore "options to implement standard active assailant training for faculty and staff within the upcoming academic year."
Additionally, UNC Police will host a "multi-agency exercise drill," and the university will streamline the process of communicating crisis counseling after an incident.
"This needs to be live, and in person and in depth with the faculty and staff," Tim Shipman, Security Consultant said.
Security consultant Tim Shipman supports this training, if done consistently.
"This is something that becomes a recurring training every quarter – i would suggest every quarter – definitely every semester," Shipman said.
According to UNC, crews have already started assessing locks on campus, and others are creating a working group for implementing an "integrated camera management system."
The recommendations will take time to implement, according to UNC, ranging from six months to three years.
A statement from George Battle, UNC's vice chancellor for institutional integrity and risk management, reads, "The report clearly illustrates our law enforcement and emergency management teams were proactive in planning and preparing for emergencies, and I am incredibly proud of their response. Now we need to work on ways to ensure preparedness is included in every area of campus, and we are closely aligned with our key external partners."