Four hours of reporting and counting

At 2:07 p.m., I was getting ready to leave my room in West Apartments to go to my broadcast journalism class. After putting my coat on, I leaned over to close my laptop's screen when I got an instant message from Rohma Abbas, my colleague and the editor in chief of the Stony Brook Independent. "There's someone on campus with a gun in Harriman Hall," she said. For a split second, I thought about staying within the safe confines my room. But when you're a journalism major and managing editor for a campus publication, getting the story is worth taking a risk. I grabbed my purse and headed outside.

It was a beautiful day, and the sky was clear. Walking toward the Academic Mall at around 2:10 p.m., I spotted two male students wearing RSP jackets. "Can I walk with you guys?" I asked them. We talked about what was going on. They told me about someone possibly having a gun in Harriman and that they were told to report to the RSP office in O'Neil Hall. As we neared the SAC bus loop, one of the men said to the other, "What do you think? Should we go this way or around? I think it's safer to go the other way." I walked with them, avoiding the SAC loop, and watched as students headed in the direction they had just deemed unsafe. My heart began to race. The men told me they would escort me to the library, where my class was, but then changed their minds, saying they thought I should avoid going there.

I walked toward Harriman Hall, expecting to see police, but there were none. I breezed right into Harriman, walked into the cafe, and walked back out. I heard some students whispering about what was going on, but most still seemed unaware.
After leaving Harriman, I turned left toward Old Chemistry and saw a group of police officers. I approached one, who told me, "We're trying to be prudent. Unfortunately, when you try to be prudent, it raises a lot of questions." He told me things were "as okay as they could be right now."

I walked toward the library, ignoring what RSP told me. There, I spotted another journalism major t talking to a police officer and a student. "It's not a campus-wide issue, it's a country-wide issue, yo!" the student said to the cop.
Our notebooks were out. I took down the student's quotes and kept walking around the Academic Mall. Some students came up to me, asking if I knew what was going on. I told him what I knew. The consensus was confusion. People said they didn't know if their classes were cancelled or not. Others said they were able to get into some buildings but not out of them.

Shortly after that, I took perch near the SAC loop. A News 12 reporter with caked red lipstick was interviewing a couple students, and people were taking pictures of the scene with their camera phones. Crowds began gathering, interested at the increased police and media presence. I got a lot of great quotes from people, including the same students the News 12 reporter spoke to. They were confused, pissed off, and wary. One of them said he was going to the bookstore - "I gotta get a book," he said. Later, I saw him and he told me the bookstore was closed.

My adrenaline was on high all day. My heart still feels like it's racing more than six hours later. I went to the press conference at the University Police headquarters at 4 p.m. President Kenny stressed how important the safety of the students was to her, but many people complained about there not being an official campus lock down. "That's a false concept," Kenny said. "There is no way to have a full lock down on a campus."

After the press conference, I went to the Independent's office in the Union to write a news story. I had pages of notes and wasn't sure where to begin. I was irritated because all I had eaten were Wheat Thins and I wanted everyone to shut up so I could write. I managed to publish a comprehensive article that hopefully gives people perspective and answers on the issue. All I want to do is go home and take a hot shower.