College campuses historically have been shy about emphasizing their security policies and procedures, not wanting anxious parents or prospective students to think that a visible security force, camera equipment or other evidence of being watchful means their students are particularly vulnerable.
But over the past decade, with the uptick in mass shootings that truly hit home in 2007 with the Virginia Tech tragedy and broader fears of terrorist incidents, that reluctance has given way to the need for reassurance – because no one is under the illusion that college campuses are somehow insulated from the wider world.