University police sent out a campus alert via text on Tuesday night.
University police responded to a call from an instructor in University Hall who overheard students “discussing the use of weapons and gas” in the second floor hallway on Tuesday night, according to Captain Kieran Barrett.
Police responded as they would with a real gun threat, and immediately sent officers to the scene.
“The fear of others in the area was real,” Barrett said. “In this case, it was determined quickly that no threat existed.”
When officers arrived on the scene, they quickly discovered that the professor had overheard students demonstrating a class project on World War I in the next room over.
In order to clarify any rumors about the incident, a campus-wide text alert was sent out after police assessed the situation.
According to Barrett, “We wanted all community members to know that this was not a threat to the community and that people should feel comfortable being on campus. Sometimes it is necessary to communicate what did not happen as much as it is to communicate what may have happened, to ensure fear or false information does not spread.”
