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Some BGSU faculty seek end to mandatory ALICE training

Some Bowling Green State University faculty members say they don't want to be told they have to participate in active shooter training.

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Some Bowling Green State University faculty members say they don't want to be told they have to participate in active shooter training. 

They believe there could be an alternative to the ALICE training

ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate. It is an active shooter response training program that aims to empower students and staff to survive in the face of violence.

A professor who spoke with WTOL 11 says there's a resolution that'll be under consideration at the next faculty senate meeting. 

If passed it would go to the administration  asking to get rid of a mandatory tag for ALICE active shooter training. 

Dr. Montana Miller is one of the faculty members at BGSU calling for an end to mandatory active shooter training. 

"I definitely think that it should not be mandatory because some people find the ALICE training to be extremely stressful and traumatic," said Dr. Montana Miller. 

The pop culture professor feels it should be voluntary. 

"I don't think that this training should be mandatory for everyone. If there are people who feel that it's detrimental to their mental health, I think they should absolutely be able to opt out of this," said Dr. Montana Miller.

BGSU's Office of Human Resources lists the ALICE training program as a mandatory faculty and staff requirement. 

Dr. Montana Miller thinks there are other ways to prepare for active shooter training in place of this:

"There are things that we can do instead that are far more effective, such as advocating for better gun laws or maybe changing our buildings so that we have more routes of escape or cell phone coverage or phones in our classroom."

She's not alone. 

In January, a resolution came before the faculty senate asking for the change but it was tabled in March. 

Dr. Robyn Miller is the chair of faculty senate at BGSU.

"A resolution at faculty senate is a request, it's not a law. It's not a part of the charter. It's not something that the board votes on, but it's a request for the administration to consider not making the ALICE training mandatory," said Dr. Robyn Miller. 

WTOL 11 reached out to BGSU for comment on this resolution but a response has not yet been given. 

Dr. Robyn Miller also said she knows of undergraduate students at BGSU who feel the ALICE program is beneficial.

The next BGSU faculty senate meeting is on Tuesday, April 23.

For more information about ALICE training in Ohio, click HERE.

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