Surprise, confusion, worry, and bemusement were just some of many emotions that students experienced during Tuesday’s shooting drill.

When it comes to Moorpark College’s safety, drills are no joke. The shooter drill took many students by surprise and had some not sure of what to do.

“We were kind of unsure here [at Fountain Hall],” said Counselor Donny Munshower.

Although an exercise sheet of what to do step-by-step was emailed to all faculty throughout campus, it was clearly not communicated well. Some professors, and a majority of students, were lost in the process of the exercise itself. The exercise sheet laid out the scenario of the drill, as well as what to do for evacuation, hiding out, taking action if in immediate danger, and what to do when the police arrive.

“When you have an incident that occurs, the circumstances constantly changes moment to moment,” said President Dr. Bernard Luskin.

A major concern was for students who were either uninformed that the drill was taking place or showed up on campus late.

“If there was actually a shooter… I would have gotten killed,” said 19-year-old student Eric Fernandez. “Teachers should monitor the doors for students coming in. Where do we go if we’re outside? We were locked out of class.”

Perhaps simple hideouts all over campus for students to go to during the emergency, in case they do arrive late when a shooter arrives on campus out of nowhere, would be a solution.

Another concern was the PA system and its lack of clarity during the drill. Wired only outside, students in classrooms were clueless to the “all clear” announcements, or any announcements for that matter.

“We couldn’t hear a single thing in this building and nobody got a message,” said 20-year-old counselor worker Josh Rose, who was in Fountain Hall at the time of the exercise. A similar situation occurred in the EATM building during an astronomy class.

“Nobody knew what was going on,” said Associated Students Public Relations Andrew Anderson. “Two people got text messages, but most people turn off their phones during class.”

Luskin, who met with Interim Chief of Police Greg Beckley after the drill for a debriefing on the situation, reported that all went well and that the exercise was a success.

All Ventura County Community colleges have or will undergo this drill, Ventura had their’s last week and Oxnard’s drill is scheduled for Wednesday.

“I’m happy that we did the drill because of the way the world has become, and incidents at other schools,” said Luskin. “Be aware now, because it’s a different world than it used to be.”

Although a drill like this may be effective, there are definitely some issues that need to be looked over and fixed for future safety in case a shooting were to really happen.