Diego Saldana-Rojas /Staff Writer
While many students probably didn’t remember that Monday morning was April Fools’ Day, housing students at the University certainly won’t forget it in the near future.
Early on April 1, multiple false fire alarms were pulled in the housing quad. According to Interim Executive Director of Housing and Residential Life Lynn Hendricks, who sent an email to all housing students Monday morning following the incident around noon, slippery substances were placed on stairwells and hallways, and some doors were tied to prevent individuals from exiting their dorm rooms.
Currently, two students were identified as injured due to the slick materials placed on the stairwells, said University Chief of Police Alexander Casas.
According to the email sent out by Hendricks, “these actions posed a significant danger to the health and welfare of our community and are being fully investigated by University Police.”
According to Casas, the event appears to have been an April Fools’ joke.
Shey Lum You, junior social work major, lives on the first floor of Lakeview Hall North and experienced the false fire alarms. Lum You recalled that the first alarm went off at around 1:30 a.m. with a second one at approximately 5:40 a.m.
“I thought it would have been a prank to have it done twice [in one night], that’s when I thought it was a prank,” Lum You said. “It’s a big safety issue. Students don’t want to be woken twice in a night for a prank especially when…some people may think it’s real and some people may not.”
Sophomore advertising major, Carlton Grant, woke up to both alarms and did not initially think they were pranks.
“Around 1 a.m. the first alarm goes and off I just thought it was fire drill [then] around 5:40 a.m.-something the alarm goes off again and… thought that maybe this time there was really a fire,” Grant said.
Grant knew about the slippery substances being used on the stairwells and mentioned he a saw a picture that was circulating of doors being bound with what appeared to be seran wrap.
Lum You was aware of slick substances being used on the stairwells but was not aware that doors were being bound.
Grant believes that many residents thought the whole event was an April Fools’ Day prank.
“I think a lot of people were cognoscente of the fact it was April Fools’,” Grant said. “I think that if it was another day, seeing as how today was April Fools, and there was no reason for it and nobody could tie one and one together, then a lot more people could have gotten hurt,” said Grant.
Casas noted that there were currently no individuals in custody and that the investigation is ongoing. He also mentioned there are currently no suspects for this incident.
Students with any information may contact the University Police at (305) 348-2626, the Office of Residential Life at (305) 348-3661 or by anonymously visiting the department website and looking under the Silent Witness tab.
As of press time, Hendricks was not available for further comment on this story other than the email sent to all Housing students.
diego.saldana@fiusm.com
