A classroom on the ground floor of Plassmann
Photo: Isabel Marzullo
BY ISABEL MARZULLO, NEWS EDITOR
“That’s a horrible place to be if something bad happens,” said Mike Marsfelder, captain of the Olean Police Department after hearing classroom doors on the ground floor of Plassmann Hall at St. Bonaventure University are made of glass, don’t manually lock and contain a glass panel in the wall allowing anyone to see in. “There’s not really a lot of advice I can give [in case of an active shooter].”
These features were added during Plassmann’s renovation in which New York State awarded Bonaventure nearly $3 million to renovate. The building was completed in 2024 by Clark Patterson Lee, an architecture, engineering and planning firm and cost a total of $9.8 million.
“It doesn’t sound like a good place [to be],” said Marsfelder before suggesting that in the case of an emergency, buying yourself time is the best thing to do and will allow law enforcement time to respond effectively.
Gary Segrue, Bonaventure’s Associate Dean for Campus Safety and Security said they “can remotely lock any or all doors.”
One method according to Marsfelder to help buy time is run, hide or fight. This means running to safety if possible, barricading yourself into the room by pushing a desk or table and fighting if need be.
Plassmann classrooms on the first floor don’t have glass panels, nor are the doors made of glass. However, the doors still don’t lock.
“Not everything is designed to thwart a shooter,” said Marsfelder which emphasizes the need of run, hide and fight.
In the event a 911 call is made from Bonaventure, the Allegany Police Department would be the first on scene as the Olean Police Department is just outside of the jurisdiction and would arrive later.
Bonaventure’s Safety and Security would also need to be on the scene and coordinate with local law enforcement.
The Allegany Police Department did not respond to an interview request.
marzulig22@bonaventure.edu
