Whitley Hall was evacuated at midnight Friday, Feb. 6 after a disturbance in the stairwell on the sixth floor.
According to Lt. Jason Bone with the University Police Department (UPD), a mixture of chemicals was triggered in the stairwell, causing smoke and a popping sound.
The UPD’s investigation of this incident has determined one of the chemicals used in the mixture. Samples collected by officials in the Safety Office on campus have been sent to a crime lab for further identification of all substances used.
“We don’t know exactly what materials were in there. We do know it involved acid, because it tested positive for acid,” Bone said.
According to Bone, the UPD believes this is a prank, and could potentially be tied to two incidents of stink bombs in the Science building and Binnion Hall last fall.
“It’s probably the same person or persons that is doing this, and now they’ve branched into something a little more serious,” Bone said.
The incident at Whitley did not damage any university property in the stairwell. Although this particular incident has not prompted any new safety measures or rules, the UPD is concerned with the safety of all involved with these types of pranks.
“Here’s my big concern: somebody mixing this stuff up and has an accident and does damage to themselves or someone else when they’re just trying to play a prank, which is why we take it very seriously,” Bone said. “If stuff like this continues to happen, we’ll probably turn it over to the feds. That’s how serious it can be nowadays.”
The incident caused the fire alarm to be set off in the entire building, alerting UPD within 2-3 minutes, who then alerted the Commerce Fire Department.
“Students that see anything suspicious or smell any odors … a methane smell or anything like that, they need to report that,” Bone said.
The UPD can be reached by calling 903-886-5868.
Within this academic year so far, Whitley Hall has also seen other acts of vandalism, including tearing fliers down, damaging bulletin boards and ceiling tiles, causing fire alarms and urinating in the plants and floor hallways.
In an email sent to all Whitley residents, associate director Hayley Jobe informed residents of the vandalism taking place and the consequences for those actions.
“Unfortunately if these actions continue what results is that we will have to pass along the costs of these damages to everyone in the building,” Jobe said in her email. “We sincerely would not like to put those of you who are not damaging the facility and community in that position.”
According to both Lt. Bone and Dennis Koch, the interim director of Residential Living and Learning, security cameras are something that is being looked into by the University, but have been slowed down due to lack of funding and limited budgeting.
“We want folks to be alerted and to be watching,” Koch said. “Remember that you live in a community with other people and respect those folks.”