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A verbal but non-specific threat against EOU sent shock waves through the La Grande campus last week. University officials took the right action in taking the possible threat seriously, initiating warnings and making sure law enforcement officials were on top of the issue.
Law enforcement officials in Central Oregon, after receiving word that a former student living in that region may have issued a threat against the university, determined that the statement wasn’t credible. University officials, though, decided that it would be better to err on the side of caution than to ignore the matter.
The university last Wednesday issued a security alert to vice presidents, deans and building managers. Local police were notified. Students and staff weren’t notified until Thursday. Neither notice went into any specifics, but urged caution. Some of the notifications worked. Some didn’t.
The Wednesday alert, though, set the rumor mill in motion. Word leaked out and became exaggerated. Text messages started flowing. Rumors grew. Some students heard they shouldn’t go to campus Thursday. Some profs canceled classes Thursday morning. Some students heard — or thought they heard — that there had been a shooting on campus.
When the official notice to students and staff went out Thursday morning, rumors were rampant. No one knew then that some people would get the notices and that others would not until Thursday afternoon. Thursday morning EOU President Dixie Lund decided to call a campus information meeting to set the record straight. She notified The Observer of the meeting.
Yes, the campus had issued a security alert. No, there had not been a shooting. The university had received what could be perceived as a possible threat from a former student. The source of the possible threat was in Central Oregon, where law enforcement was keeping an eye on him or her. There was no imminent danger.
The university was right in not taking the matter lightly. Considering the number of campus shootings that have occurred, no threat — perceived or real — should be ignored. Warning signs that might have existed prior to the Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University shootings give any school official reason to take every possible threatening statement seriously.
EOU can learn from what occurred last week. The university can review its policies about when to issue security alerts, whom to issue them to and whether or not a campuswide alert may or may not be warranted. The university can learn from the fact that not every student or staff member received an alert, which may have led to confusion and uncontrolled rumors.
The university can’t be faulted for trying to get the word out. But it can learn from this experience and go about finding ways to improve the system.
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Opinion 
