NextFin News - The University of Nebraska–Lincoln Police Department (UNLPD) and the university’s Experience Lab have launched a new educational video series designed to modernize active shooter preparedness through a "by students, for students" production model. Released on March 30, 2026, the project utilizes the "Run, Hide, Fight" framework, a protocol developed to provide clear, actionable steps during an active threat. Funded by the Association of Students of the University of Nebraska, the initiative represents a shift in campus safety strategy, moving away from dense policy manuals toward high-engagement visual media.
The production was led by Production House, a unit within the College of Journalism and Mass Communications that functions as a professional agency for students. Justin Diep, a senior journalism major and the project’s student lead, noted that the collaboration allowed the team to apply classroom theory to a high-stakes public safety environment. By involving students in every stage—from filming and acting to editing—the UNLPD aims to bridge the communication gap that often exists between law enforcement and the student body. This peer-to-peer delivery is intended to make safety information more relatable and less intimidating for a demographic that frequently tunes out traditional administrative lectures.
Abby Schletzbaum, Emergency Management Director for the UNLPD, emphasized that the inclusion of student voices was a deliberate choice to address specific campus concerns. While the "Run, Hide, Fight" strategy is a national standard, its application on a sprawling university campus requires nuanced communication. Schletzbaum argued that students are more likely to engage with content produced by their peers, which in turn increases the likelihood that these life-saving protocols will be remembered during a crisis. The video also serves as an introduction to broader campus resources, including the UNL Alert system, which provides real-time emergency notifications.
From a broader institutional perspective, the project highlights the growing trend of "experiential learning" as a core component of higher education value propositions. Kristian Anderson, an assistant professor of practice and director of Production House, stated that working with real clients like the police department provides students with a "safety net" to fail and learn before entering the professional workforce. This model benefits the university twice over: it provides professional-grade services to internal departments at a lower cost than external agencies while simultaneously enhancing student employability. Beyond the immediate campus, student worker Mason Ain suggested that the skills learned through this video are transferable to future workplaces, where active threat preparedness is increasingly becoming a standard requirement of corporate safety training.
However, the reliance on student-led production for critical safety information is not without its critics. Some safety consultants argue that while peer-led messaging increases engagement, it must be strictly audited to ensure that technical accuracy is not sacrificed for aesthetic appeal. The UNLPD addressed this by ensuring the content remained "consulted by industry standards," maintaining a balance between student creativity and law enforcement precision. As the video begins its rollout during New Student Enrollment and across social media platforms, its success will likely be measured by the degree of "safety literacy" among the incoming class of 2030.
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