BELLMONT, IN—Carrow State University police confirmed Monday that a 20-year-old sophomore who took LSD on Friday night and spent the following six hours shouting "the FBI is coming for me" across the campus quad was, in every material respect, correct.
According to a department incident summary, the student, whose name has not been released, was followed for most of the night by 41 separate individuals representing federal agencies, foreign intelligence services, private lenders, the U.S. Army and the university's own Office of Residence Life. The student, who documented his pursuers in a spiral notebook later recovered from his room, identified 38 of them.
"Forty-one people were following him. FBI, CIA, Interpol, his RA," said university police Lt. Ron Haskett, 56, standing outside Dunmore Hall as members of a tactical team climbed out of a ground-floor window behind him. "He only counted thirty-eight." Haskett said the department considered the student's count "honestly impressive for a first-time user" and has asked to keep the notebook for training purposes.
The notebook's list, photographed by a resident, begins "THEY ARE COMING," and names "MY RA," "ARMY GUY," "LOAN LADY," "CREDIT CARD TABLE" and "ALUMNI OFFICE" before ending, at number 38, with "MOM?" A university spokesperson declined to say whether the final entry had been confirmed.
At least one of the pursuers was willing to speak on the record. "We start following them at orientation," said Patricia Holm, 45, a regional account representative for a federal student loan servicer, speaking near the Carrow quad while a group of her colleagues trailed a passing freshman at a distance of roughly two feet. "Most of them don't notice for twenty years." Holm said the sophomore's reaction was "a normal part of the process, just early."
Experts say the case is less unusual than it sounds. Universities across the country have used Bluetooth beacon systems to log students' locations for attendance, and Congress passed the 2009 Credit CARD Act in part to stop card issuers from handing out free gifts to students near campus. Military recruiters and private lenders continue to rank college sophomores among their most valuable demographics. "Most students are being followed by somewhere between thirty and fifty organizations at any given time," said one higher-education consultant who asked not to be named. "The LSD just turns the lights on."
In Dunmore Hall, the student's roommate said the night had been difficult. "He kept saying the RA was in on it," said the roommate, 20. "The RA was in on it." The RA, reached by phone, said she was "not able to comment while the investigation is ongoing" and was heard asking someone named Doug for a pen.
Outside the student union, a classmate who said she had also taken LSD on Friday expressed mild disappointment. "Only the Mossad guy followed me," she said. "Very polite." Representatives of the Israeli intelligence service did not respond to a request for comment but were seen holding a door open for a group of graduate students.
A campus tour guide leading a group of prospective parents past the scene Monday afternoon did not address the incident. "And on your left, the counseling center," she said. "Current wait is six weeks."
By Monday evening, Carrow State had added a $300 "escort fee" to the student's spring tuition statement to cover what the bursar's office described as "the people who walked him home." The university reminded students that following is not a crime, that orientation attendance is mandatory, and that free t-shirts remain available at the student union, no sign-up required.
Comments
Post a Comment