When the Facebook parents freak out, there’s a problem, and Drake University seems to be looking for solutions. After reports of an attempted student abduction on Oct. 4, the student body, local news networks and the parents’ Facebook group are all searching for answers.  

Drake University has witnessed multiple safety threats in the past few weeks. A student was almost abducted on the corner of 30th Street and Carpenter Avenue in the early hours of Oct. 4. An individual may have snuck into Goodwin-Kirk residence hall and been roaming the building on Sept. 23. Emails about these occurrences have focused more on how to stay safe than on these incidents themselves. In fact, a lot of students don’t know that these things have happened at all but remain concerned about campus security nonetheless.

After an email was sent out to students on Oct. 4, concern about campus safety increased. Many Drake parents, who did not all receive emails, took to Facebook to express their fear and outrage. Parents shared that “the emails were from the Des Moines public safety,” while they were actually from Drake Public Safety, and claimed that parents had a right to have been notified. One seemingly annoyed parent wrote, “Why aren’t parents being notified? This directly affects the safety of our kids! Isn’t there a parents’ advisory group on campus?  . . . I think I’ll be making some calls today.” Another alleged that “Drake has asked us to put our trust in them that our children . . . are in good hands with the University and its staff and its security. That request for our trust to send them there and pay their tuition comes with some type of obligation for them to give something back to us to show us that we can trust them.”

Meanwhile, many students started taking alternate walking routes and began walking with someone else at all times. Sophomore Eleanor Carlin explained that “a lot of [her friends in] Greek life have really emphasized walking in groups” since the attempted abduction.

While an email went out the evening after the attempt had been made, it described the location — the west side of campus — quite broadly. Scott Law, executive director of public safety at Drake, says that was for a couple of reasons. 

“First, we don’t want to create a false sense that that’s the only place that you should be worried about,” Law said. “If people tie [this incident] to a specific vehicle or spot, they think that’s the only thing they have to worry about. Second, we were still trying to gather information about what happened at the time. If we put out information [that’s very specific], people’s perceptions change and the information we get is different from what actually occurred.” 

Law said that the message was about taking steps to be safe and included a list of five reminders of security measures available to Drake students.

Students have heard rumors for weeks about subsequent abduction attempts. When The Times-Delphic asked if those rumors had been substantiated, Law explained that public safety had received subsequent reports that “would not have met the definition of an attempted abduction” and “didn’t match up to the individuals that were believed to have been involved in the first attempt.” Law added that one of those reports mentioned the student wouldn’t have thought to report anything if not for the news about the student abduction attempt. 

On the afternoon of Sept. 23, Goodwin-Kirk residents got an email from Director of Residence Life Lorissa Sowden about the reported intruder. This email made residents aware that there had been a report of “an individual [that] may have been in Goodwin-Kirk unaccompanied and roaming the building.” Initially, the email about the GK incident was seen as lacking. Carlin said that it seemed “very similar to other safety notifications: kind of generic.”  

When the TD asked about the language used in that email, Law clarified by explaining the incident in more detail. 

“We got a report of an individual but did not catch any footage of anyone that met that description. By the time we went and looked, we could not find an individual meeting that description [in GK],” Law said. 

Caroline House, a GK resident, said she isn’t sure these issues are being handled correctly. Because students don’t feel they are receiving information, they’re instead trying their best to help each other. House pointed out that students were sharing safety tips. In that way, she said the issue is “bringing people together and helping us protect each other.”

But House added that “the University would help bring more together and increase safety if we actually knew about things. The only way for us to stay safe is if we all know what’s going on. In cases like this, ignorance is not bliss.”

In the face of these happenings, many students are turning to unofficial sources in order to stay informed. Several have said they only learned about some of these safety incidents through rumors or online. 

“If you’re finding out about these things through YikYak, that’s a problem,” First-Year Student Senator Sean Groh said. “I wish campus was more transparent. Students have a right to know these things. Campus communication needs to be improved.” 

When asked about if official communication would replace the dubious channels that some people receive information from, Law explained that “it’s a combination. 

“When the University has information that leads us to believe there is a confirmed risk to our students, we have an obligation to put that information out,” Law said.

Law then emphasized the importance of ensuring that only factually substantiated information goes out to students. 

“Unfortunately, students often hear rumors and think something more is occurring. Student communication is often faster than official channels. So if you’re ever unsure or hear a particular rumor, please reach out to me,” Law said.