For the past week, reports and rumors have circulated of a white van following campus pedestrians at night.
Posts on Facebook as well as Wildfire, a communication platform popular on college campuses, have raised safety concerns among campus community members.
Four students filed police reports claiming they had been stalked by the van, said Moscow Police Department Officer Megan Vincello. Vincello said two of the four reports referenced street locations where the van was sighted. One location was near Elm & Rayburn Streets. The other was on Deakin Avenue near the Bruce Pitman Center. The other two reports came from unspecified campus locations.
Additional alleged sightings were reported online via Facebook and Wildfire posts.
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Campus Security Manager, Bruce Lovell, said after evaluating security footage, he identified the driver as a campus worker in a campus van.
“A lot of people work at night — depending on the time of year — but custodial staff works at night,” Lovell said. “Depending on what’s happening with facilities, facilities could be working at night.”
Campus security said reports were filed because students happened to be walking in the same direction as campus vans.
“Just the perfect set of circumstances had to happen in order for people to be walking across campus at the exact same time that a van was driving from one place to another and it just happened to be the same place,” Lovell said. “It’s really unusual.”
Lovell said even though the van turned out to be a campus vehicle, he understands why students filed reports and urges the campus community to do so if they are ever concerned about their safety.
“I’m glad they called in, because if at night you feel like you’re being followed and you run to a place and that vehicle is behind you, it’s good — when in doubt — to report,” Lovell said.
UI Campus Security is available at all hours to receive reports. Students, employees and visitors may also use the university’s free, 24-hour Safe Walk service to be escorted to their destinations by a security officer, no questions asked. To utilize the service, students can call 208-885-7054.
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With homecoming events underway, Madie Brown, assistant director for Health Promotions and Alcohol & Other Drug Initiatives, said there are many precautions students and those in town for homecoming can take.
“I don’t want to associate Homecoming Week with drinking, there’s a lot more that happens Homecoming Weekend,” Brown said. “Rather than events and social things that would promote substance use, a lot of folks do choose to stay sober during homecoming week and every week. About a quarter of our students choose to abstain from alcohol.”
Brown provided advice for those students who do choose to consume alcohol:
• Stick to the same type of alcohol
• Stay with the same group of friends
• Limit drinks and set a limit before consumption
• Eat food and drink water before, and during, alcohol consumption
• Plan a safe way to get home
• Do not drink and drive
For students who are interested in further resources about alcohol and substance safety, Brown recommends visiting the Vandal Health education page online.
Ellen Dennis and Haadiya Tariq can be reached at [email protected]