'Survivor' Star Who Attends Brown U. Feels Safe Despite Campus Shooter's Escape

“Survivor” Season 48 contestant Eva Erickson narrowly dodged the gunman who opened fire at Brown University Saturday afternoon, but she says she's not overly worried about another shooting there.

Check out our interview -- the Ph.D. candidate says she feels "safe" while hunkered down at her off-campus residence in Providence, Rhode Island because she assumes the assailant is "long gone," reasoning ... "Lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place." On the other hand, she notes the idea is "horrible" because it feels like the shooter has gotten away.

There's an intense manhunt for the gunman by local and federal authorities, and the FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for information in the ongoing case. Providence Mayor Brett Smiley told ABC News Monday authorities "continue to receive zero credible threats to our community, Brown or the broader community," which he's certainly caught some flack for as the suspect remains on the lam.

While Eva feels safe overall, she tells TMZ she and her peers have just as much information as the general public, and the lack of knowledge about the assailant has everyone "on edge." She is pining for the answers to simple questions -- how and how such a tragedy could have happened.

One thing she's sure of -- something needs to change. Eva says it's "insane" students are so vulnerable to gun violence in America, noting ... "I just wanted to go to school and learn and have this community and be safe. And now that's been taken from me." While she says she doesn't have the answers, she looks at lawmakers who are better equipped to advocate for gun safety regulations.

Rather than immediately flee the area after the horrific shooting, Eva stayed back and helped her friends and hockey teammates -- she's captain of the men's club hockey team -- move out of their dorms, and she plans on being back home with her folks in Minnesota for Christmas.

She was also able to spread some cheer while bullets terrorized students on another part of campus, telling TMZ she met some "Survivor" fans who were locked down with her in the school's indoor track and basketball facility. She says she was thrilled to "bring a smile to somebody's face as we're all in this really scary situation."

And if you're wondering if placing 2nd on the hit CBS series mentally prepared her for nearly coming in contact with a shooter -- the answer is a hard no. The scholar and athlete explains she never felt unsafe on the show, and nothing could have prepared her for being near such terror.