University of Hawaii Sends 'In the Event of Nuclear Attack' Letter; Admin Apologizes for Causing 'Unnecessary Concern'
Recently, thousands of students enrolled at the University of Hawaii received a troubling letter warning students what to do "in the event of a nuclear attack." However, university officials immediately apologized for the email that caused "unnecessary concern."
Some students who received the email shared screenshots on social media, and these showed the subject line that said: "In the event of a nuclear attack."
The email was sent as an official announcement and stated: "In light of concerns about North Korea missile tests, state and federal agencies are providing information about nuclear threats and what to do in the unlikely event of a nuclear attack and radiation emergency."
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The letter then informed students that during these situations, all the 10 campuses of the University of Hawaii would adapt the state's Emergency Management Agency's siren system. It also reminded students that they would be applying the "sheltering-in-place" guidelines during these kinds of crises.
The University of Hawaii also included several links to government agency websites that discussed emergency preparedness and radiation -- a known effect of widespread nuclear activity.
The email was received by the students on Monday afternoon, and a number of them reacted and somehow made fun of the announcement. However, shortly after the letter made headlines, the University's communications officials backpedaled and apologized for causing worry among its community.
University of Hawaii spokesperson Dan Meisenzahl addressed the matter and took full responsibility for the incident.
According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Meisenzahl said: "This is entirely my responsibility — right down to the subject line." He added: "So I take full responsibility and the last thing I wanted to do was cause any unnecessary concern among our community."
However, the university representative maintained that the body of the email remained relevant but admitted that the subject line went overboard.
Meisenzahl explained that due to what had been happening recently, the university had been getting various inquiries from people on how it was coping with the issue and what it planned to do about it.
