Texas A&M University Police Department (UPD) officials are taking all references to terrorism and terroristic threats seriously, enforcing a zero-tolerance policy against such statements at the football game against Notre Dame Saturday and Friday night’s Midnight Yell Practice.
At the Sept. 22 football game, three fans were restricted from entering Kyle Field for joking comments related to the terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., UPD director Bob Wiatt said.
“These attacks are not something you joke about or mess around with,” Wiatt said. “It is disappointing this happened, because all involved were students.”
One student was not permitted to attend yell practice Friday for accusing a woman of committing the attack on the World Trade Center, Wiatt said. The student said the woman was carrying hazardous materials to orchestrate more destructive acts.
Two other students were banned from Kyle Field Saturday for joking they were carrying weapons as they were entering the stadium.
“The game attendants are addressing the students like they are at the airports, where you do not kid about hijacking a plane, or at a movie theater where you do not shout out fire,” Wiatt said. “If the game attendant found the threat to be very serious, the individual could be charged with a misdemeanor.”
If the students’ threats had been considered serious, they could have faced a class A or a class B misdemeanor.
Wiatt said security will continue at a heightened state of alert at Saturday’s game and at yell practice, where officials from UPD and Bryan-College Station law enforcement agencies will be present.
Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. J. Malon Southerland, said security has changed since the recent attacks in New York and Washington.
“It’s clear that the security precautions are just not the same as they were,” Southerland said.
Former President George Bush will be on hand for the Lech Walesa speech today and Saturday’s pre-game march-in. The University released a statement this week advising of heightened security by the U.S. Secret Service at events Bush will attend.