Run. Hide. Fight.

Run. Hide. Fight.

On November 28, while Ohio State University was put on lock down due to a rogue student attacking and injuring 11 others, 2016 graduate Jenna Oravec was in her dorm.

Oravec was supposed to be in a chemistry class during the time of the attack, but decided to skip on a whim.

“I will mostly remember how grateful I am for not going to class that morning,” Oravec said, “and how grateful I am for the police officers who responded  so quickly to the attack.”

Streetsboro High School has many alumni who were attending classes and/or working at OSU at the time of the attack.

Colleen Fitzgibbons, 07’ graduate was in a Monday morning staff meeting about a half mile away from the attack.

According to CNN, OSU campus officer Alan Horujko shot and killed the attacker, Abdul Razak Ali Artan, 18, soon after he had injured 11. Artan rammed his car, outside of Watts Hall,  into anybody in sight, only stopping when he hit a concrete block. At which point, he lept from the vehicle and slashed at anyone in his path with a knife.

Six were hit with the car, following up the attack by stabbing five victims with a knife.

Speaking to the OSU student paper for its Humans of Ohio State feature last summer Artan expresses love for his religion, Islam.

“I wanted to pray in the open, but I was scared with everything going on in the media,” he said to The Lantern. “I’m a Muslim, it’s not what the media portrays me to be. If people look at me, a Muslim praying, I don’t know what they’re going to think, what’s going to happen.”

OSU’s students and staff attempt to find safe ground following the traumatic event which left 11 hospitalized and one dead; the one being Artan himself.

Following the recent presidential election, immigration reform and opinions have become a “hot” topic for the United States. Opinions following the attack may strengthen and/or change considering Artan was a Somali immigrant.

“Many people in this country can’t differentiate between hateful people who are Muslim and people who are Muslim,” Fitzgibbons said. “I’m disappointed in those Americans who are so close minded… who are hateful towards a whole religion and people.”

As of now, there is no evidence that Artan had any direct connection to a terrorist group, but according to CNN, investigators reason that he was inspired by ISIS and their attacks. Artan’s attack closely mirrors others done in the name of ISIS.

The strongest theory on his attack is that of his anger toward the treatment of Muslims. Authorities say it is too soon to give a true reason behind his attack, but is believed to have been deliberate and premeditated.

Using the school’s emergency twitter account, on Monday, November 28 at 9:56 AM, OSU told students to: “Run. Hide. Fight,” in an attempt to keep students safe and make them aware of the situation at hand. Over 29,000 people follow the emergency management twitter account, according to twitter, with over 19,000 retweets alerting the campus and families of students of the situation at hand.  

“One thing we can do to stop possible future attacks.. Is to be kind to everyone you come across,” Fitzgibbons said. “You never know what that person is facing or has faced. There’s not enough of that these days. There’s so much hate, fear and people hurting. Hurting people hurt people.”

In a series of tweets November 29, Ohio State University President Michael V. Drake thanked everyone for their support, prayers and thoughts during this time of rehabilitation for the campus.

“Today we move forward,” Drake said. “Unified, secure and #Buckeyestrong.”