ORLANDO, Fla. — On Monday, UCF Knights returned to campus for the fall semester with many of those classes now back in person.

The university has new security measures to prepare for potential threats on campus, like an active shooter or hurricane.

In 2013, there was a potential active threat on the UCF main campus, where a student was planning to harm others.

UCF formed the Department of Security the year after that incident.

“Tasked with correcting an issue where we had multiple disparate camera and access control systems on campus," said director of Security Management Steven Freund.

For instance, he says about 3,000 cameras have eyes over campus for events like football games.

“Let’s say we want to look at section 126. It finds the camera that has the best view of that section," Freund said.

Emergency Operations Center staff can also take a closer look at cameras in a lockdown situation, like an armed person on campus or hurricane.

“What we’ve done over the last year is we’ve made it easier to lockdown by installing physical lockdown buttons in our dispatch center at the UCF Police Department," Freund said. "All of the electronic access-control doors will be locked at that time, will be locked within a second.”

There’s a button for each UCF campus.

“The various incidents happening on college campuses, K-12 schools, anywhere, wanted the ability to be able to quickly secure our students into their spaces," he said.

UCF said the buttons lockdown all access-controlled doors on a particular campus, but first responders can still gain access to the building. The university said people also trying to escape the building in an emergency event would also be able to do so.

UCF Senior Alyson Sheehy has a personal connection to school gun violence. 

She was a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. on February 14, 2018, during the mass shooting.

“The next thing I knew we were all just panicking, texting each other like crazy, trying to figure out where everyone was, not believing anything that was really going on," she said about that day.

Sheehy said that day still impacts her.

“I didn’t really like being in the big auditoriums again, but it was kind of focusing and realizing that I’m out of that situation now," Sheehy said. "I try to stay relaxed, but also at the same time, I’m checking to make sure that I’m near a door.”

She’s part of March for our Lives, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas student-led demonstration supporting gun control legislation to prevent another school shooting.

Sheehy thinks the lockdown buttons are a good idea, but thinks UCF and schools across the country need to work on more prevention instead of reaction.

“Putting more money and effort into why these things are happening on campuses and helping their students," Sheehy said. She's also concerned about the mental strain the pandemic has put on people trying to complete school, with many isolated for months.

Within the past two to three years, UCF also installed license plate readers at campus entrances and exits.

“That will compare the license plate on a vehicle to a hot list to see if it’s a wanted vehicle, a wanted person, and if it is, it’ll notify our dispatch right away," Freund said.

UCF said its Counseling and Psychological Services Center has provided resources and support to help students manage the additional challenges associated with the pandemic. CAPS offers in-person and telemental health appointments with a counselor.