Weygand evacuation causes alarm for resident students

10/01/2014

By Kayla Lemay

Editor-in-Chief

Weygand Hall was closed for over an hour Sunday. Photo courtesy of Gabrielle Desmarais

On Sunday, Sept. 28 around 8:15 p.m., residents in Weygand Hall were evacuated by the Bridgewater State University Police Department (BSUPD).

Police Chief David Tillinghast said, “A student reported a beeping sound in a trash barrel near Weygand Hall. The cause of the beeping was unknown and was of concern to the student.”

The fire alarm was set off, and students went outside, most thinking it was simply another fire drill, based on Twitter posts from #bsulife.

That opinion changed, however. An senior living in Weygand, who asked to remain anonymous, said, “We were told to just ‘Go somewhere.’ Some students went to Crimson, others scattered to friends’ rooms in other residence halls. I personally sat at the picnic tables outside ECC.”

The cause of the beeping, and the huge scare?

“The police investigation determined that the beeping sound was caused by a discarded electronic wristwatch, and that no danger was ever involved,” said Tillinghast.

Normally, this would not be a problem. However, students were not informed as to what the danger actually was.

“We were pissed because we weren’t told anything about what was going on,” said the anonymous source. “There were two police officers present in front of Weygand who wouldn’t tell us anything.”

Once the disturbance was discovered and the scene cleared of crime tape, students were allowed back inside. The whole process took approximately one hour and 15 minutes.

Kayla Lemay is the Editor-in-Chief of The Comment. Follow her on Twitter @klemay123 or email her at klemay@student.bridgew.edu.

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