De Anza Students Prep for Earthquake Occurrences

Arvin Joshua Gatus, Staff Reporter

Recent earthquakes in California have raised concerns about safety in different styles of classrooms on De Anza College’s campus.

De Anza has a multitude of different types of classrooms that vary from the standard row of desks, auditorium classrooms and science lab classrooms.

Non-traditional classrooms often do not have big enough desks that students would be able to duck and cover under.

Without the protection of a standard desk, some students are concerned about the projector falling on them, along with other objects that could fall and hit them in the case of an earthquake.

To combat this, campus police recommend students protect themselves with anything available in the classroom.

“Duck, cover and hold on,” said FHDA police officer Jim Thurber. “Get under something like a table or a desk and will protect your head. Hold onto your table and desk legs.”

Despite these concerns, some students feel that they would be protected on campus if an earthquake occurred.

Neville Varghese, 17, molecular biology major, said he feels safe on campus because he believes the professors are prepared to handle an earthquake.

“I don’t feel like there is an immediate danger,” Varghese said. “The professors are good in a situation.”