I’m not quite sure how I missed this the first time ’round, but it just came up here in the office that, in its attempt to better inform students and other members of the “campus community” and beyond about emergency situations, Millersville University will be installing sirens.

Sirens?

“The sirens are just more ways to communicate to the campus community that there is an emergency. So the sirens can be heard by students, faculty, staff, residents,” said Millersville University representative Janet Kacskos.

Oh, they’ll be heard all right.

Millersville, I’m sure, won’t fire off the sirens unless there’s good reason - but, often, the school can’t know if the reason is good or not until it investigates. That might mean a siren in the meantime. And I’m thinking the people who just happen to live in the borough will love the blaring sirens.

Then again - maybe they will.

Maybe this is how other communities in Lancaster County - the nation - should address emergencies? Think about the City of Lancaster; there’s a shooting somewhere, and sirens go off across the city.

Well, no, we wouldn’t do that. At least I hope we wouldn’t do that. Because why I’m fully on board with the need for colleges and schools and the like to do what they can to make sure Virginia Tech or Columbine isn’t replicated, the idea of sirens seem a chilling metaphor. One more thing to send us, howling with fear, into the cattle chutes whereby we demand more government surveillance, where we can’t possibly feel safe unless Big Brother watches over us every single moment - and sounds the alarm when we feel the least bit threatened.