ROTC closed due to threat
ROTC students were not allowed to attend class on Tuesday after a verbal threat was made by a male USU student previously enrolled in the program.
“He made an inclination that could have been conveyed to harm one of the staff members,” said Paul Faletto, head of the military science department. “We took basic precautions and consulted with the USU police, and we decided that it would be better to cancel classes.”
Faletto explained the student was taken off of the enrollment list after he failed to meet certain required criteria in the program. The issue was addressed Monday afternoon when the threat was made.
“He was a little frustrated and made an off the cuff remark,” Faletto said. “It was more of a veiled threat, but it could have been perceived one way or the other.”
After the incident occurred, a group of ROTC personnel and campus police met to discuss what action should be taken. Faletto said in light of recent events in Tucson, they felt it was necessary to take the threat seriously and close the building.
John DeVilbiss, USU’s public relations executive director, said, “Following the conversation with the student, we felt the need to, first of all, make sure all our students are safe, which is why we took those precautions, and then we wanted to intervene if we could.”
A behavioral intervention team made up of counselors, police, and other university administrators met on Tuesday to discuss the events with the student.
“They sat down and talked about it, assessed the situation, and decided very quickly that they would like to get to the source of the problem. That is what we did, and after that we were confident that the issue had been resolved,” DeVilbiss said.
No one was injured after the incident. Classes reopened on Wednesday, and no criminal charges were made against the student.
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