Collegian file photo.
MARISA MILLER | MANAGING EDITOR | mnmille1@butler.edu
The Butler University Police Department sent out a tweet late Oct. 1, that created concern throughout the Butler community.
BUPD responded to an incident on Oct. 1 when a student reported a car slowly driving by while she was walking to her sorority house. The car turned out to be an UberEats delivery driver.
BUPD posted a tweet about the incident with an attached photo stating, “Keep Calm and Carry On.”
9:46 p.m. a Student reported running from a car that followed
her from Atherton to her sorority (no verbal contact). Within 2-3 mins of the call, Officers located the vehicle based on the license plate. The driver was working for a delivery service, bringing food to a student. pic.twitter.com/5RwUz8lOE2— Butler University Police Department (@ButlerUpolice) October 2, 2018
BUPD Chief John Conley said the late shift sergeant’s intention with the tweet was not to be negative, but to update students of the event.
“The intention there was to get something for somebody to stop and look at it,” Conley said. “[With] the term ‘Keep Calm and Carry On,’ all he meant by that was carry on doing what you are doing. If you see something, call us. You call people, we respond, we stop people and check them out. So it wasn’t meant in a belittling way or to be insensitive.”
The attached photo was added to the tweet so that students would be more apt to see the information within the tweet, Conley said.
“It’s frustrating because I understand the issues that students are having over suspicious people,” Conley said. “We’ve been trying to address it and trying to figure out ways to communicate information out and get it out, so that the students aren’t left in the dark as to what is going on.”
Conley said communication has been something BUPD is continuing to work on. In a recent town hall meeting hosted by the Student Government Association, Conley said BUPD would try to be more active on social media in order to keep students informed.
BUPD also responded to their own tweet late in the afternoon of Oct. 2 in response to student concerns regarding the post.
Thank you for feedback and we hear what you are saying. Our intent was to depict that this situation was reported and addressed. We had no intention to make light of the situation in any way. We are grateful that our students are staying aware of their surroundings.
— Butler University Police Department (@ButlerUpolice) October 2, 2018
Students and parents were quick to respond on the night of Oct. 1 and throughout the day on Oct. 2, mostly through quoting BUPD’s original tweet.
@ButlerVPSA is this an appropriate response to a student concern? https://t.co/CTQQmwEaRH
— Bay (@bayunderwood_) October 2, 2018
As a parent of a Butler Student I think that is an offense statement to convey to the students given the fact that there has been questionable activity on campus. The students are obviously concerned and need to remain vigilant for their own safety and the safety of the campus.
— Dee (@dee_beckman) October 2, 2018
Glad to see we’re poking fun at a girl who must have legitimately felt unsafe on this campus
— Rachel Ramey (@rachel_ramey32) October 2, 2018
I would’ve done the same thing. That’s the reality of being a woman, constantly feeling paranoid and unsafe. Glad to know that’s a joke to our police department https://t.co/rxf9U9xmHf
— Taeighlor (@thammond1124) October 2, 2018
https://twitter.com/Melanie9382/status/1047133855675748355
https://twitter.com/ylrac/status/1047162895321243648
https://twitter.com/sh3lbyj0/status/1047163383311683584
https://twitter.com/MegRichardson__/status/1047170058336833536
Y’all know how much of a concern safety is for women, not just on Butler’s campus, but literally everywhere else, so why would you think it’s appropriate to ridicule one of the few women who chose to call for help? This does nothing to make butler safer, which is your whole job. https://t.co/s6mDNkYEYC
— big bad baz (@fullthrottlegay) October 2, 2018
https://twitter.com/m_schro97/status/1047181670439378945
Liberal college=everyone is complains about this tweet. Absurd https://t.co/LLlAeACXy5
— PaytonNicoleWaltz👑 (@paytnicole18) October 2, 2018
https://twitter.com/paaigebragg/status/1047188979731365894
I almost pepper sprayed my dad last night because he pulled up next to me in a van and I felt like I needed to protect myself because I don’t feel safe on campus right now. This isn’t a laughing matter, this is a problem that needs to be solved https://t.co/dGjRfZ1D0T
— Libbi Adams (@libbia29) October 2, 2018
https://twitter.com/peter_hutson/status/1047171920179998720
https://twitter.com/Deanaleks_/status/1047169058393792513
https://twitter.com/ooolivia_kremer/status/1047192017124646912
https://twitter.com/myauntchristine/status/1047192270716510209
https://twitter.com/_maddiejmiller_/status/1047204154685513728
https://twitter.com/_maddiejmiller_/status/1047207756657299456
As the mom of a Butler grad, I would hope you would not make the security of my daughter a punch line on Twitter. Students’ safety and well-being are paramount. This glib remark is beyond disappointing.
— Carol S. Miller (@sullymiller1) October 2, 2018
https://twitter.com/MERE_galla11/status/1047221511470370816
Digital managing editor Zach Horrall also contributed to this story.
