Tucked among the e-mail from Sara Makowski’s friends and family was an unfamiliar message that made the pre-med freshman worry a little Friday afternoon.
MSU’s Department of Police and Public Safety sent out a universitywide e-mail asking students to help identify three Pakistani men who had been involved in an incident at the Business College Complex’s Eppley Center on Wednesday.
“I was a little concerned at first,” Makowski said. “My mom flipped out. She was just like, ‘Oh my God, just be really careful.’”
MSU police Lt. Alicia Nordmann said the three men did not do anything illegal, but the department would like to know who they are.
“Whatever communication or contact they had with the business college employee made the staff member uncomfortable,” Nordmann said. “Since the events on Sept. 11, the whole country has experienced a change in environment. It’s business as usual for us, but we need to look into things when our community comes to us.”
The e-mail described the three men as dressed in native Pakistani attire and traveling in a gold-colored minivan with the letters AJPD on its Ontario license plate.
The men were each about 5 feet 9 inches tall and between 190 and 200 pounds. Two of the men were about 60 years old with gray hair and beards, while the third was about 40 years old with a short black beard.
Donald Bowersox, dean of the Eli Broad College of Business, said the men were not threatening, but the incident was reported immediately.
“We’d just like to know if they’re part of our community,” Nordmann said. “We haven’t received anything to put us on a state of alert. We haven’t received any threats.”
Nordmann said there have been very few incidents regarding ethnic intimidation on campus, but if students do notice any negative backlash because of the attacks in New York and Washington, they should contact the department.
“We’re the melting pot of everybody,” Nordmann said. “That’s what we’re known for. We’re not going to change our beliefs because an organization targeted our country.”
Studio art freshman P.T. Phan said she has heard rumors of negative backlash against people of Middle Eastern descent and thought the e-mail might raise suspicions of those students.
“I think it’s more offensive to the Pakistanis that live here,” she said. “I don’t think we’re big enough for anyone to bomb or crash. We should know better than to hate somebody just because.”
MSU spokesman Terry Denbow said the administration has sent several e-mail messages since Sept. 11. He said the e-mail’s intent was to keep students informed, not to cause a panic.
“We have a commitment to informing students about anything that might relate to safety and security issues,” he said. “The best way to combat rumors is to get the facts out there. It could have been open to criticism if we hadn’t. The alternative would be not to tell people at all.
“You can’t shoot a rumor down after the fact.”
