In the fall of 2007, ETSU implemented a text messaging alert system to warn students of impending danger.
Following Monday’s carjacking incident, the university made the decision not to send out an alert text.
“Had we felt there was an imminent and continuing threat to the kids on this campus and the community, we would have utilized more of our alert system,” said director of Public Safety, Jack Cotrel, in an interview on Wednesday. “But we knew beyond doubt that the threat was over. The suspect was not on this campus, and within 15 minutes we knew his approximate location.”
At about 5 p.m. on Monday, students were informed by e-mail that a carjacking incident had occurred that afternoon. The e-mail said there were no injuries and that the pursuit of the perpetrator had crossed the Tennessee-North Carolina state line.
“I don’t really fault ETSU’s Public Safety for not using the text messaging system in this case,” said Alex Munjal, an anthropology major. “Mind you, car jacking is indeed a serious crime to occur on our pristine campus.
“The purpose of the text messaging system seems to be for use in a situation that requires either caution or some type of action in response to the events that occurred. Seeing as though this car jacking incident was an isolated incident, I hardly see what response students could have given, and (a text message) may have caused panic,” Munjal said.
One student, senior Elliot Cennamo, actually decided to remove himself from the text message alert system “after it failed so well last time.”
Cennamo said, “I figured it wasn’t worth it when it didn’t work, and if anything serious happened, I could hear the sirens.”
According to Cotrel, this is the first carjacking incident on ETSU campus. “We have this system, we don’t want it to become the boy that cried wolf,” said Cotrel. “There will be a cooperative effort to determine whether or not there is an imminent threat to our community.”
(Executive Editor Eileen Rush contributed to this story.)

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