Are HBCU Students in Danger?

Gun violence is a recurring issue in society and a very prominent issue in the Black community. Many shooting incidents have occurred during homecoming week for a handful of HBCUs. Unfortunately, it seems to be the actions of non-students who are ruining events for first-time students and instilling fear in their minds. I do not think that it is fair for visitors to be welcomed on our HBCU campuses with open arms just so we can receive gun violence in return for our own kind.
Following the homecoming concert, there was a shooting at a party nearby Southern University. The Kappa Luau was an event filled with students who were enjoying their homecoming experience. The shooting occurred during the closing of the event, and unfortunately, 11 people were shot during the incident. However, no one suffered any fatal injuries. As an on-campus student, I feel like oftentimes our events are ruined by people who do not currently attend the University. Sad to say, but it seems as if our current students are forced to suffer due to the implantation of new rules, the cancellation of other events to come, and the fear of attending another event in the future.
Recently, Clark Atlanta students were disrupted by gunshots at 12:30 midnight during their homecoming week. In total, four people were injured and many were left afraid. After speaking with a friend who is also a Clark student, he explained to me that their campus is usually strictly for students. However, during homecoming season, the campus is open without gates or barriers. In relation to gun violence, our rival school Grambling State University endured a homecoming tragedy last year. During this incident, there was one death and seven injured. Hopefully, their homecoming, which is scheduled for the beginning of November, is a safe affair for students, alumni, and visitors.
To avoid more incidents like these, I have a few suggestions as we move into the following semester. To start, I feel like we need to be more thorough when it comes to security. During the Luau, security seemed to do a slight pat down, and women were not searched at all. Due to the thickness of the line, many people were able to squeeze inside the party without being properly searched. My next suggestion would be that in cooperation with our school’s budget, we invest in a Boom Barrier at each checkpoint. This will allow visitors both on-campus and off-campus students to scan their student IDs and receive access to enter the campus. Lastly, as a community, we need to leave the violence alone. There are so many people who have lost their lives to gun violence and it should not occur on Southern’s campus or any campus for that matter.