Bullet prompts O’Connor evacuation

 

By Patrick Ball
News Editor

     Student Trustee Jake Oliveira wasn’t on campus when it happened, but said the news “spread like wildfire.”
 

     After hearing about the incident, SGA President Dave Callaghan was “nervous there’d be fear across campus,” given the recent events.
 

     Chief Brad Medeiros of FSC Campus Police said, “Campus law enforcement [across the country] is concerned with a copycat incident. So, we are going to take a proactive approach to any weaponry on campus.”
 

     An event like the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech understandably leads to a heightened sense of awareness on college campuses across the country. Irregular activities – suspicious or not – come under a microscope, and, at times, unfair judgments are passed because of race, nationality and even creative writing.
 

     Amid an atmosphere encouraging one to “err on the side of caution,” one parent did just that. On Sunday, April 29, the parent of an FSC student spotted a bullet on State Street, across from O’Connor Hall, and promptly turned it in to Campus Police at between 3 and 3:30 p.m.
 

     According to Medeiros, after the bullet was turned in, Campus Police “physically surveyed the area, and reviewed video tape. The building was evacuated around “five-thirtyish,” and a sweep of O’Connor “geared specifically toward firearms, ammunition and any components related to firearms” was conducted.
 

     “We didn’t find anything that could have hurt anybody, but it was a first-hand safety drill,” said Medeiros.
 

     The Framingham State Fire Department set off the dormitory’s fire alarm, in order to clear the building.
 

     Students were not informed about the bullet.
 

     “We felt it best at the time,” said Medeiros, who said the decision not to inform residents what was going on was done so that students would not panic, and to ensure that there would not be an opportunity for a firearm or ammunition to be hidden in a location where it would not be found by the sweep.
 

     Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of Students Susanne Conley said, “As the events unfolded, Chief Medieros was in contact with me [by phone]. … First respondents don’t ask to evacuate, but inform you that they’ve evacuated. … My involvement was to stay informed, and communicate with the community.”
 

     Conley was asked by Medeiros to send e-mails to the campus community to inform students and faculty about the incident.
 

    Campus Police, along with Framingham Police and Fire departments – who were on hand to make sure “everyone got out in a safe manner” – surveyed the students exiting the building for suspicious activity, and directed them to the College Center, according to Medeiros.
 

     Christine Morrissey, an undeclared freshman and O’Connor resident, said the students thought the evacuation was a fire drill until “one cop told us it was something suspicious.”
 

     She said they were informed about the bullet while eating in the cafeteria. Despite the delay, she felt as though the students were properly informed, and believes most of the campus shares that sentiment.
 

    Medeiros, FPD Sergeant Esposito, and Public Relations Assistant to the President Peter Chisholm informed the students of the situation around 6 p.m., and asked if any of them could provide information pertinent to the case.
 

     Students were allowed back into the dormitory at approximately 7:30 p.m.
 

    Medeiros described the situation as “darned if you do, darned if you don’t.”
 

     He said, “I’ve heard a lot of reactions: some say we over reacted. Some say we under reacted,” but the bottom line is that people are safe.
 

     Conley said, “I didn’t feel, afterwards, that we really flubbed one.” She believes that events of this nature are an opportunity for “assessment” in that they provide an instance to “discuss what happened, and what can be done to improve [the response].”
 

     Chisholm believes there is “no reason to be concerned – none at all. I keep my door opened.”
 

     Oliveira believes the college took “every appropriate action,” and was encouraged by the “friendly faces” available to address concerns.
 

     Callaghan said he was “very happy with the student response,” and believes the situation was handled very well.
 

     Vice President of Administration and Finance Dale Hamel, speaking on behalf of the president, said, “I feel that members of the Framingham State College Campus Police department handled the situation appropriately and professionally. I was especially pleased with the extent and openness of communication with various constituents. While the recent tragedy certainly has resulted in all of us being more aware of public safety, the college’s response was consistent with procedures that were in place prior to the Virginia Tech incident.”
 

      According to Campus Police Chief Brad Medeiros, the bullet appeared to be a 7.62 mm rifle round, and was sent to Framingham Police Department to be tested for fingerprints, caliber and some strange markings.
 

     Medeiros said the markings would not necessarily identify anything, but were something he’d never noticed on a round before. He also stated that with a permit, the bullet is not illegal in Massachusetts, although it is illegal to hunt with a round of such a caliber.