Campus Safety Message To our students, faculty, staff and visitors: In recent weeks, threats to a number of colleges and universities in southwestern Pennsylvania have been in the news. As you may be aware, California University of Pennsylvania has not been exempt from this nuisance activity, which is calculated to disrupt the educational process at our University and to cause inconvenience and worry in our community. Let me assure you that the California University Police Department and the University administration take each threat quite seriously. Your safety is paramount in our threat assessment process, which is based on national standards recommended by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) and the Department of Homeland Security. Our sole concern is the well-being of our campus population, and all decisions are designed to ensure the maximum protection of every individual on our campus. The California University Police Department is engaged in a detailed investigation with the aim of identifying and prosecuting the individual(s) involved in these crimes. As part of the process we are collaborating with the Pennsylvania State Police and working in conjunction with the regional task force formed to put an end to the threats that have affected colleges and universities in this region. The threats we have received at Cal U have been non-specific, very general and vague in nature, and have been conveyed in notes written on the doors of restroom stalls. We have gathered a significant amount of physical evidence that will be extremely important once suspects have been identified. Please help us to expedite the investigation. We are asking any student, faculty or staff member with information that might help to identify the individual(s) responsible for these threats to contact the California University Police Department, either in person or by calling 724-938-4299. Any bit of information may prove vital to the investigation. Nothing should be considered too small or insignificant to report. I must emphasize that anyone who comes forward to assist our department will be doing a great service to the entire California University community. We believe these threats are merely a cowardly prank designed to disrupt the educational process at the expense of our very dedicated students, faculty and staff. Any information received will be held in the strictest confidence and used solely to bring this disruptive behavior to an end. Our core values at California University are Integrity, Civility and Responsibility,
and the University’s Bill of Rights states that each of us has “the right to safety and security and the responsibility to ensure the safety and security of others.” Keeping that in mind, I ask you to live by Cal U’s core values and help us to ensure the safety and security of our entire community. The California University Police Department looks forward to partnering with our students, faculty and staff to bring this nuisance to a rapid conclusion. Sincerely, Bob Downey Chief of Police California University Police Department