At least six North Campus buildings were evacuated Friday afternoon, but the administration has yet to release an official response.
With no explanation coming from the university, rumors ricocheted around campus until Monday, when a Daily article requiring three reporters finally sorted things out. Though the article was posted Friday on The Daily’s Web site, we should not be only source addressing this in a timely manner.
There was no gas leak. The building wasn’t on fire. A nuclear reaction had not gone horribly awry. It was simply a spilled beaker of thiol, the chemical additive which gives natural gas its distinct odor.
But until The Daily published an article online Friday, students believed – and repeated – all of those rumors.
Why is a campus-wide e-mail sent out to proclaim the availability of an I-Go car, but students receive nothing when the largest building on campus is completely evacuated in the middle of the day?
This is not the only example of such sloppiness. Earlier this quarter, The Daily wrote an editorial criticizing the fact that students were informed of attempted break-ins at their dormitories two weeks after they happened.
The administration has a duty to inform students when significant events occur. It has a well-documented ability to instantly e-mail every student. In a situation such as this, it should use that power quickly and consistently.
