Editorial: Pitt should take bomb threats seriously, continue safety measures

Considering the recent string of bomb threats, we think it’s worthwhile to weigh in on the way the Pitt community — administration, students and everyone else involved — is responding to its endangered safety. Considering the recent string of bomb threats, we think it’s worthwhile to weigh in on the way the Pitt community — administration, students and everyone else involved — is responding to its endangered safety.

The University evacuated five campus buildings yesterday because of bomb threats at the Cathedral of Learning, Chevron Science Center and Litchfield Towers. These threats bring the bomb threat total this semester to 12 at press time — an alarmingly high number.

The important thing to remember is that the University appears to be doing all it can to promote campus safety. Chancellor Mark Nordenberg reinforced Pitt’s safety values in a statement to the Pitt community, saying that “we will maintain safety as our priority and do our best to cope with whatever further disruptions may come our way.”

Unfortunately, many people aren’t taking the threats as seriously as they should.

First of all, we believe that under no circumstances should the University stop evacuating threatened buildings. Even though the threats have interrupted the daily lives of thousands of people, Pitt is acting responsibly by treating each one as a legitimate and serious danger.

However, despite the increased measures the University has taken to try and catch the perpetrator(s), the threats have only increased in frequency. It’s clear that the University is dealing with a real, persistent presence — one that is most certainly not to be taken lightly.

It’s also worth noting that there are scant details about the circumstances floating around, and we understand the community’s urge to know more. Considering the up-to-$50,000 reward Pitt has said it will give to anyone with information that leads to conviction or arrest of the perpetrator(s), it’s natural to want to help.

But Pitt isn’t looking for more help — canine units, handwriting experts and even the FBI are already assisting with the investigation — it’s looking for someone who has prior knowledge. Revealing more information to the public would only show the person or people responsible for the threats what law enforcement knows. When it comes to revealing information vital to the investigation, less is more.

There is one complaint we have, though. The University’s handling of Tuesday’s early-morning Litchfield Towers threat — though organized — did not include an Emergency Notification System alert.

Because of this, people on campus — particularly the ones who were nearby and residents who were not in the dorm at the time — were grossly uninformed about the threat, or worse, misinformed. We understand withholding some details from the public, but without any question, we must be made aware of every threat on our campus.

People must realize that real danger could reside in these threats. Just last month, the Western Psychiatric Institute shooting caused concern about campus safety. Shooter John Shick had in his apartment, a few blocks from Western Psych, ingredients that he could have used in Molotov cocktail incendiary bombs.

Whether or not these recurring bomb threats are legitimate, we must remember that they must be taken seriously — no matter how many false alarms there are. In the meantime, we must keep an eye out for suspicious activity and hope that these disconcerting disruptions come to a timely end.