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Rauber Hill Sunrise, by Mel Hunt

Alfred State President addresses social media and misinformation after potential threat

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“This was NOT an active threat to our Wellsville or other campuses”

Dear Alfred State Community,

Yesterday in the early morning hours authorities were made aware of a student from our Wellsville Campus who had re-shared a concerning post on social media. Prior to the start of the class day, it was determined that this was NOT an active threat to our Wellsville or other campuses. Later yesterday evening and into this morning, we have become aware of subsequent misinformation that has been spreading and wanted to take an opportunity to provide an update to you all.

Before students arrived on campus on Monday, a threat analysis was underway after authorities were alerted by concerned parties. Police were able to establish contact with the student offsite and assess the situation to determine that there was not an active threat to campus. At this time, the matter has been turned over to the Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) for follow-up as per our normal processes and procedures, and the student will not be allowed to return to campus while the BIT group does their work to bring the matter to a conclusion.

While there was not a need to escalate the situation, I wanted to take a moment to recognize and thank all those who were involved. This includes the parties who spoke up and voiced concern, the police who engaged in outreach, and the administrators who created the chain of communication that allowed everyone to act in a swift and coordinated fashion. Finally, I want to thank you all for your patience and understanding while we undertook the steps necessary to fully assess and resolve the situation.

Safety, security, and open communication are top priorities for us at Alfred State. We do not want any of our community members to feel unsafe and this is true if caused by the spread of misinformation.  I am grateful for those individuals who have reached out to make us aware of the spreading of rumors so that we can now take the steps to clarify the situation to ensure you are receiving accurate information. Had there been the need for a timely alert as part of our emergency response protocol, you would have received it through email and through our RAVE Alert System by text. Please do not hesitate to contact Dean Jeff Stevens if you have any questions or concerns.

Thank you again and all the best as we work to successfully conclude the semester,

Dr. Steven Mauro, Ph.D.

President

Alfred State College

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