Death threat ignites fear around campus

A death threat posted on a bathroom wall in the Rutgers Students Center on the College Avenue campus caused problems Tuesday morning for both police and students.

The message, found on Monday, threatened that "everybody in Hickman will die." Students did not know what to think of the message.

"I don't know if it is a serious threat or not. However, many students have class in Hickman [Hall on Douglass campus] so it's a big deal if it was," said Jonathan Powell, a School of Environmental and Biological Sciences junior.

Lauren Mairella, a School of Arts and Sciences sophomore, said she still went to class despite the threat.

"I went there, but it seemed like only half the students were present," she said. "I'm really glad though that the police [were] outside searching bags, because it makes me feel better about it."

Police searched the bags of everyone entering the building yesterday in an effort to deter anyone's acting on the threat.

University Spokesman E.J. Miranda said the investigation of the incident is ongoing.

"There are police officers stationed around Hickman for the safety and security of the [University] community," he said.

Although only a few students saw the Rutgers Student Center bathroom threat, an anonymous student received an e-mail Monday about the threat from a worried friend. The friend then posted the e-mail on ISawYouRutgers.com, allowing many students to read about the death threat.

This caused a dilemma for Jing You, the co-creator of ISawYouRutgers.com.

"At first, I didn't know whether to leave the message up or not," said You, a School of Arts and Sciences senior. "However, the girl who wrote the message seemed genuinely concerned for the safety of the students."

The social networking Web site has been a hot topic among students recently. You said although she does not want the site to become a tool for students to post hoaxes, the site helped console many students.

"The girl just wanted to hear something from the University to calm her nerves about the situation," she said. "I'm glad many people responded to her posting and, hopefully provided comfort for her."

This is not the first situation in which ISawYouRutgers.com has provided comfort for another student who is either worried or having other problems.

You said a depressed student asked for help from anyone over ISawYouRutgers.com. The response was overwhelming.

"She received many messages telling her about how great life is, and one student even took her out to dinner," she said. "The Web site is providing the students with an outlet for their problems."

School of Arts and Sciences sophomore Abdush Ahmad thought the Web site was critical in notifying the students.

"The Internet, in general, is a good tool for getting the word out quickly," he said. "If it's used the right way, it can be extremely helpful."

Although ISawYouRutgers.com helped spread the news about the message, the University made sure students know a death threat is a serious offense and should not be taken lightly.

In a campus-wide e-mail from Jay Kohl, vice president for Administration and Public Safety, students were assured that the necessary precautions were being taken.

"We will do all we can to find the person or persons responsible for the [death threat]," Kohl said in the e-mail. "Posting threatening messages is a criminal act and those responsible will be prosecuted."

If anyone has any information regarding the death threat, please contact University Detective Sean Skala at (732)-932-8025.