Campus survival

By Andrea Godoy

Since elementary school, we have learned what to do in case of an emergency.

There have been drills, mock evacuations and lockdowns.

If there is one thing that everyone learned to do in school, it was to react to an emergency.

Fires, tornados, earthquakes, nuclear war – all those things are terrifying, but none of us learned what to do in case of a zombie takeover.

All it takes is one secret military research base combining the wrong chemicals and injecting them into someone to unleash World War Z.

Science has started toying with some pretty sketchy stuff. It’s just a matter of time until Taco Bell starts offering cloned meat burritos and the apocalypse shows up.

Since ancient times, Halloween has symbolized both the end of the fertile season and a time when the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest.

This year, this most auspicious day falls on a Monday, a day when most of us are suppose to be in class.

So how to survive if the cloned meat Taco Bell zombies strike after your English class?

Where do you go? The skills that ensure survival in other emergencies will only cause death in the zombie apocalypse.

In Max Brooks’ book, The Zombie Survival Guide, he advocates seeking higher ground. The ability to climb, especially stairs, is something that requires a higher mental capacity then most zombies possess.

On campus, however, there are only two buildings that have the height necessary to act as effective zombie fortresses: Parcells Hall and the College Union Building. (The science building has too much glass, and the library has no vending machines for survival.)

The main drawback to Parcells Hall is that it is attached to the Byrd Business Building.

Normally, that would be a benefit to surviving. Unfortunately, Byrd is under construction, which causes Parcells to be vulnerable.

The entire bottom floor is open, and the main door leading to the building is covered by a piece of pressboard.

The other building that can be used as a stronghold is the CUB, which is centrally located.

While the cafeteria kitchen in the CUB is not currently in use, most of the equipment still is there and in working order.

If stuck in the middle of a hostile situation, running water and a heat source are a priority.

The CUB is not without its flaws either. The cafeteria is surrounded on two walls by windows, and the main entrance is glass-covered.

Shattering glass is not a problem for zombies. Those who seek shelter early on in the CUB would find themselves being eaten alive.

To survive the initial attack, those closest to the campus police department would stand the best shot.

The PD is off Durrett Hall, and all members of the ACPD are master peace officers, meaning they have reached the highest level of training a police officer can reach in Texas.

In addition, they each carry a firearm, and the campus police station is reinforced against forced entry.

The worst thing to do in a zombie-infested world is to try to escape alone.

Keep in mind that there is strength in numbers. Being a hero only works in movies. If the apocalypse were to happen on Halloween this year, there are places one can go on campus to try to survive until the worst has passed.

For more tips on surviving the apocalypse, check out The Zombie Survival Guide, AMC’s The Walking Dead and www.zombiesurvivaleffort.com.

 

Originally published: Thursday, October 20, 2011