Yesterday

So Wednesday I usually teach four classes at Salem State University, but mid morning this happened.

At approximately 11:10 AM on September 25, 2013, an Assault with a dangerous weapon/ knife was reported to have occurred on one of the University Shuttle busses in the Central Campus parking lot.  Female Victim attacked by unknown male and sustained laceration to arm, male victim (Bus Driver) attempted to assist victim and was stabbed in chest.  Female treated on scene and male transported to local hospital.

Scary stuff. The campus community was then asked to "shelter in place." So for almost three hours, we were in lockdown. I stayed in my office, told my last class of the day to stay safe, and waited it out in my office. Fortunately, the injured parties are OK and the assailant was arrested last night about 100 miles away in Chatham, NY.  The whole experience was nerve-wracking; it felt like a true invasion of a sacred space.

Today, I am fine. Hanging out at Starbucks until I head home to grade papers all afternoon. But I'll be out and about this afternoon and evening for not one, not two, but three events, one of which is a fiction reading on campus.

Just didn't feel like going to campus today. This is the second time in six months I've been a part of shelter- in-place incidents. I need a little time to decompress.

A big thank you to the campus police, SSU administration, and Salem Police for containing the situation.