It sounds as if, had a student not made the news of a threat on the UCSC campus public, we might not have been told at all. I wonder.
Graffiti threatening violence, found in a campus bathroom, has prompted an investigation by the UC Santa Cruz administration and police. The graffiti was discovered in early December, before students left for winter break.
Administrators issued an email advisory to the campus community Jan. 11 alerting students and faculty of the discovery of the graffiti, and asking them to be alert for suspicious behavior. Recipients were warned that the message threatened violence on Jan. 18. Exact details were not included.
UCSC director of public information Jim Burns said the administration has no plans to release further details.
Sam*, a UCSC student who lives on campus, was informed about the graffiti by a UCSC staff member on Jan. 6. Though he was asked not to share the details of the threat, Sam has since told “quite a few people,” he said.
Burns confirmed that “members of the campus’ senior leadership team were among the people informed,” before the e-mail advisory was sent out.
In an interview conducted prior to the release of the official alert, Sam said that though he understands the university’s position, he was concerned for students’ safety. He decided to alert his peers of the threat as they had not yet been informed by the university.
RTWT
So what would you do? Tuesday is my day to teach on campus.
Update
In reading more about the threat I have a strong suspicion it is area and person specific. This does make it feel much less threatening. I do wish the administration would have been more specific about what the message said, but perhaps they’ve been told not to.
