EDITORIAL – False alarm, real problems

Wednesday’s bomb threat at the Cathedral of Learning turned out to be a false alarm. But it… Wednesday’s bomb threat at the Cathedral of Learning turned out to be a false alarm. But it has drawn attention to some problems in the University’s manner of response.

As reported in these pages, Pitt police received an emergency call around 5 p.m. from someone with an electronically disguised voice who said there was a bomb in the Cathedral.

Shortly thereafter, a warning was sent to students through the emergency notification system. The building was evacuated. The Cathedral was searched with a single bomb-sniffing dog, and later, Pittsburgh police and Port Authority police dogs joined the investigation.

While Pitt police took immediate action, more sufficient precautions could have been taken.

Many students were standing close to the Cathedral, close to potential danger. The University’s initial response of searching the building with one bomb-sniffing dog was also irresponsible – How can a single dog investigate the entire Cathedral?

Furthermore, while alerts were sent out through the emergency notification system, Pitt has no way of checking to make sure alerts are received and students are properly warned.

Wednesday’s bomb threat was obviously not the University’s first. Pitt repeatedly gets bomb threats, and it is likely that some of them are called in by students who hope to get out of an exam or presentation.

Pitt may be suffering from the boy-who-cried-wolf mentality. Bomb threats might be expected to be false, and, as a result, responses might not always be entirely adequate.

Currently, the system in place is a good start, but Pitt has a long way to go.

The University should set clear, standard evacuation procedures and practice them. Students should not be mulling around near the building after an evacuation.

The University should also make sure that students are familiar with these procedures. Perhaps Pitt should conduct more frequent emergency drills so that students can get used to the evacuation process.

Furthermore, the University should follow up with students receiving the emergency e-mail and text message warnings, maybe with an online survey.

The emergency notification system is not foolproof, and it is doubtful that warnings always successfully go through. Pitt has an obligation to make sure the system is performing well.

These solutions will make Pitt a safer place.

And when it comes to campus safety, we can never be too safe.