 "Photo: Alex Blackwelder")
This past Thursday, the FBI and Homeland Security flooded campus.
SWAT teams, Rutherford County Emergency Management and Special Operatives Tennessee Highway Patrol came to the scene. Although the FBI declared MTSU an official "No-Fly Zone" during the day, news helicopters circled the university. Rutherford County Police, Murfreesboro Police and Campus Police created a "command post" behind the Murphy Center and the Sports Hall of Fame.
President Sydney McPhee canceled all classes at noon Thursday and through Friday due to a "credible threat." Faculty and staff were asked to stay, but rumors-a bomb threat, an attack on campus, sightings of soldiers carrying automatic weapons and blazing fires on campus-abounded.
McPhee's official statement at the time of the sudden cancellation cited a series of "threatening e-mails and suspicious fires."
On Wednesday, Oct. 8, several campus e-mail clients received general but threatening e-mails. The author of the threat indicated that general damage and carnage would be done on campus Oct. 9. Campus security and administration has been mum on the exact content of the e-mails, but the threat was deemed "credible" enough to incite a campus-wide disruption.
Lisa Rollins from MTSU News and Public Affairs said the newly-remodeled residence hall Miss Mary, part of Lyon Hall, was evacuated for a time Wednesday night. The setting of three small fires in campus dorms Wednesday and Thursday morning heightened concern.
Some news outlets have reported the malicious e-mails were directed at a specific faculty member, but Rollins confirmed that more than one administrator and a few deans were recipients.
But the university was never officially closed, though it has been reported otherwise.
In a press conference Thursday afternoon, Chief Peaster said officials took the fires and the e-mails-unsure at the time if they were connected-into consideration when they made the decision to cancel classes.
According to MT Associate Vice President Tonjanita Johnson, MTSU sent out e-mails Wednesday to alert students of the threat and also sent follow-up e-mails Thursday. MTSU Alert4U sent text messages to those students and faculty signed up for the service warning of the threat.
Some students, however, told Sidelines they did not receive the emergency text message when it was initially sent out.
"It was decided by the Crisis Council-which includes President Sydney McPhee-at their 8 o' clock meeting that the emergency messages would have to be sent out," said Lucinda Lea, vice president of the information and technology division of MTSU.
Jerry Moorton, freshman recording industry, was one of several students Sidelines questioned who said he didn't receive an alert. Moorton said he signed up for the emergency text messaging system around the time of his freshman orientation, but still hadn't received an alert more than thirty minutes after McPhee canceled classes.
Travis Boyd, freshman computer information systems major, said he also signed up for the emergency texts the first week of the school but didn't receive Thursday's text as of an hour after the cancellation.
"I signed up for it just in case something like this would happen," Boyd said.
Lea said that the university would be investigating the reason some students failed to receive the alert.
The MTSU Web site's alert notification page now includes a survey asking students whether or not they received it.
In a statement released Thursday, Governor Bredesen commended the university for its response to the incident.
"The university's prompt actions were absolutely warranted," he said. "I commend them for taking these measures to protect the university community."
Be the first to comment on this article!