Residents of Harley Hall at Shippensburg University were panicked during Jan. 25’s snowstorm when an emergency alert broadcast noise was played over the dormitory’s public address system.
The problem? There was no emergency — weather or otherwise.
According to student complaint emails that were shared with The Slate, residents of Harley Hall were startled when the emergency alert broadcast — the one played by government officials over various mediums when serious issues such as Amber Alerts and tornadoes occur — was played throughout the building Monday night to advertise an upcoming pool tournament.
“My family is North Carolinian. I know that many of my fellow students have been the victims of disasters that have demanded the use of the Emergency Alert System,” reads a complaint email by Natalie Nichols, a resident of Harley. “I do not expect to need to explain to you why this is not okay, or what that sound means to me.”
Nichols is a contributor at The Slate.
Another email sent to university administration warned that false alarms could cause students to ignore real emergencies in the future.
“Hearing a fake alert is frightening and can lessen the impact of actual alerts,” said an email by Kiara Kalmey that was sent to administration and shared with The Slate. “It causes undue stress to both humans and any animals residing in the building; a friend of mine confirmed their pet was upset by the noise.”
All of the emails shared with The Slate demanded accountability and speculated that a resident adviser was behind the incident.
When contacted for comment Director of Communications and Marketing Megan Silverstrim stated that “we are aware of this incident and it has been addressed within the hall and with residents.”
Silverstrim declined to comment further when asked for additional details about what, if any, discipline was handed down. The school did not disclose who was behind the sound being played.
But some residents of Harley Hall say that the school has not addressed them or their concerns.
“The [Resident Director] came to check on my roommate who was very concerned, however, I haven’t received anything from the school,” said Harley resident Eleanor Meckley in a message to The Slate. “I have received no indication that [the responsible party] has been disciplined and have no reason to believe it won’t happen again, which leads me to believe that this not a pressing issue in the eyes of the university.”
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