Are Boston’s Colleges Safe?


1203106107It used to be that the most violent event a college student had to fear was getting ill from too much tequila. But last year’s shootings at Virginia Tech has forced colleges to prepare for the possibility of mass shootings on their campus.

Northern Illinois University had such a plan, which it had to implement yesterday afternoon when a gunman killed seven people. And while we hope they never have to use it, a Boston school is also well-prepared for an emergency.

Reader’s Digest recently ranked the safest colleges and universities and found that Northeastern University is the second-safest institution in the country. While it doesn’t have an emergency lockdown plan, Northeastern does have a way to rapidly communicate information to students and parents in an emergency.

Let’s hope they never have to put it into practice.