Editorial: The FIU Alert system

FIUSM Staff

opinion@fiusm.com

As FIU students we are all familiar with the FIU Alert system. If there’s a disturbance on campus, students can expect a notification from the system via text, phone call or email. Some students can even attest to being notified via social media. However, students and staff alike are starting to be concerned by what seems like a lack of consistency in the FIU Alert system.

Sept. 14 our writers at The Beacon broke the story that there was a man with a foot fetish sniffing women’s feet in the Green Library. The next day, the culprit was arrested by Miami-Dade authorities.

Students never received a notification, and only knew about the incident through The Beacon and local news. The incident was shrugged off as a laughable occurrence but the situation is actually quite serious. The arrested culprit was identified as Eddy Juan, a registered sex-offender and the foot-sniffing incident had actually occurred about two weeks before the story broke. There was a registered sex-offender on campus in the Green Library and for two weeks no one had received any type of notification.

Sept. 2, a frightening situation occurred at the Wolfe University Center on the Biscayne Bay Campus. A student had a dispute in the building’s game room and angrily left after promising to come back later with a firearm. As a precaution, everyone was evacuated from the room. The student came back and demanded to be let in. The student was later apprehended at his home by authorities. As of right now, no one is sure as to whether or not a firearm was involved.

What we do know for sure is that the vast majority of FIU’s students did not receive an FIU Alert about the incident. Some speculate that an alert was never sent out so as to avoid a campus-wide panic. Other’s believe that many students are not subscribed to the FIU Alert service and simply missed the notification. The alert system can be a bit of an annoyance so it shouldn’t be a surprise that many students have unsubscribed to the service.

Whatever the case may be, we at The Beacon want all FIU students to say safe and observant. If you see any suspicious behavior, please alert the proper authorities as soon as possible. Most importantly, make sure you are subscribed the FIU Alert system so that you can receive calls, texts or emails about happenings around campus. Though we know receiving an unwanted alert during class is frustrating, your safety should always be your top priority. Stay safe, stay informed, and stay vigilant.