{"id":107763,"date":"2026-04-15T04:06:52","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T07:06:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/central-michigan-life-editorial-more-needs-to-be-done-regarding-the-social-media-threats\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T04:06:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T07:06:55","slug":"central-michigan-life-editorial-more-needs-to-be-done-regarding-the-social-media-threats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ubirataonline.com.br\/en\/central-michigan-life-editorial-more-needs-to-be-done-regarding-the-social-media-threats\/","title":{"rendered":"Central Michigan Life – Editorial: More needs to be done regarding the social media threats"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Central Michigan Life is concerned with the individual\u2019s comments that contain threats on ours and Central Michigan University\u2019s social media. \u00a0<\/p>\n

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We\u2019re not just journalists, but we\u2019re also students at CMU, and we felt unsafe on campus today.<\/p>\n

While no bullets were fired, no lockdown was conducted and no community member was physically harmed today, students remained uncertain about what might happen in class and what measures were being taken to ensure campus safety.<\/p>\n

The concerns spoken by students today speak volumes on the uncertainty of school shootings and raise questions about CMU’s communication when threats are posed to campus.\u00a0<\/p>\n

CM Life spoke with the Central Michigan University Police Department earlier today. CMUPD Chief Cameron Wassman said the police are investigating the incident. He said the individual has not been arrested as of 3:45 p.m. The investigation is at the point of determining whether the individual has the means to deliver on the threats.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA typical investigation involves looking through the various social media posts,\u201d he said. \u201cWe look at the past history of an event, of an individual. We look to see again … at the means or opportunity that that person would have to follow through on what is being said.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

When CM Life asked what exactly is signifying in this situation that this is not a threat, Wassman said that it\u2019s a \u201ctough question to answer.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

While we know that the police are working hard, we at CM Life think it\u2019s concerning that the hundreds of comments, including graphic depictions of violence, are \u201cnot to that level\u201d of imminent threat. \u00a0<\/p>\n

As students who have experienced school shooting lockdowns and gun violence, we see these comments as the first signs, and we believe this is a threat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to the FBI<\/u><\/a>, before mass attacks happen, someone observes concerning signs that the individual was on a path to violence. The first common concerning behavior the FBI lists is \u201ccomments, jokes and threats about violent plans.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

As of March 31, there have been 15 school shootings in 2026 in the United States, according to the CNN<\/a> database. Eight happened on college campuses. There were 79 school shootings in 2025.<\/p>\n

Similarly, Central Michigan University issued an official statement through the ucomm@cmich.edu<\/u><\/a> address at 11:25 a.m., declaring that there is \u201cno indication that an imminent threat exists,\u201d also claiming that \u201cthe proper steps have been taken to ensure the safety of our campus.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The university failed to elaborate further on what qualifies as an imminent threat, as well as what steps were taken to ensure campus safety.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The statement from the university claims that CMU will reach out to students via text message from the Central Alert system, but never utilized the system to make students aware of the situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

An email from Scott de Brestian, a chairperson and associate professor at the school of art and design, issued a statement about the matter nearly an hour before the statement from the school was issued, indicating that certain faculty members were made aware of the situation before students were.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Our point is that we believe more immediate action and specific information proving that the campus is safe needs to be provided. We haven’t heard a specific answer to how exactly CMU knows that the individual doesn’t pose any threat. \u00a0<\/p>\n

“We look at a lot of different elements of what is being said or what is being written, in terms of content and frequency contacts,” Wassman said. “Does the person have the means to actually do what they say they’re going to do? I could say that I’m gonna become President of the United States of America. But if I don’t have the means to accomplish that, then it probably doesn’t have a lot of substance to it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“We look at all those different variables. Have specific people been threatened, and do those specific people feel threatened?”<\/p>\n

We, as students at CM Life, felt threatened. We hope CMU and CMUPD take the security measures more seriously. We want to be able to return to a safe campus on Tuesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the future, we also hope CMU will implement solutions to improve the timeliness of its emergency response. It could also utilize the campus alert system for a more transparent and regular communication during an emergency incident. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Students have every right to feel scared or worried in this situation. If you or your loved one needs mental health support, reach out to the CMU’s Counseling Center at 989-774-3381.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n