(WHTM) — In the wake of a shooting at Michigan State University that left three dead and five others wounded, Midstate universities are thinking about their own response plans.

These shootings are happening with enough frequency that schools have to be prepared. Officials at Millersville and Shippensburg University said it is about being as prepared as possible before it’s too late.

“These events are tragic and heartbreaking to see, but they do provide a learning opportunity for others moving forward,” Shippensburg University Director of Marketing & Communications Megan Silverstrim said.

Silverstrim said the university has already started having conversations about areas to improve in their response plan after the shooting at MSU. She said a college campus has its own challenges in an emergency.

“People are walking around, they’re meeting friends, they’re going to work and things like that,” she said.

In that environment, getting information out quickly is crucial.

“We have an emergency text notification system,” Silverstrim explained.

She added many students now come in knowing what to do in an active shooter incident.

“Unfortunately, this generation has grown up where these incidences have become more common,” she said.

Still, reinforcing that education matters.

“Education and training are key, not waiting until the actual event — that’s too late,” Millersville University Director of Communications Janet Kacskos said.

At Millersville, Kacskos says police offer A.L.I.C.E. training, developed after Columbine.

“Alert, lockdown, inform, counter and evacuate,” Kacskos listed.

Another phrase police use is “Run, hide, fight.”

“The number one response is to get away, to get out of that,” Millersville University Police Chief Pete Anders said.

Anders, who has spent over 30 years in law enforcement, said police response to active shooters has changed over the years.

“When I started my career, I don’t think the term ‘active shooter event’ existed,” he said.

Officers used to wait for SWAT teams and negotiators, but now he says their priority is to stop the gunman.

“There is no negotiation, you have to go in and confront that,” Anders said.

Anders said it is also important to focus on prevention, and for that, police need the community’s help.

“If a student, staff member is aware of a threat on campus, they can report it, they can report it anonymously,” he said. Millersville offers multiple methods to report suspicious activity, including an app, and also has a Behavioral Intervention Team to help respond to tips.

For university officials, active shooter events are now part of their reality — and their students’ lives.

“It’s a major stress for our students,” Anders said.

Kacskos said she asked students if they had heard about the incident at MSU. “One of them said, ‘Oh I heard there was yet another shooting,'” she said.

The best thing they can do is prepare.

“What would you do if you were in that situation, how would you respond?” Anders said.

Both universities said faculty and staff go through active shooter training, and some students like those who supervise resident halls do as well. However, police departments also host trainings that are open to all students and community members.