Miami dean responds to student’s online threat – Oxford Observer

Following the arrest of a student accused of making terroristic threats during Miami’s Family Weekend, the Miami University dean of students has warned students that they will be held responsible for comments on social media.

“We have seen an increase in anonymous posts on social media platforms that indicate a health or safety concern for individuals or the community,” Dean Kimberly Moore wrote in an email to all students. “The University and local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies take these matters very seriously. We work together to identify the source, investigate the post, and conduct the appropriate follow-up.”

“It is important that you understand that platforms like Yik Yak are not truly anonymous. Reported threats, whether for self-harm or harm toward others, are taken seriously and swiftly addressed,” she continued.

On Oct. 22, Miami police arrested 20-year-old Paul James Walker from Miamisburg for threatening on social media to go on a shooting spree targeting parents out of frustration with congestion on campus due to Family Weekend. He is charged with a third-degree felony of terroristic threatening. He is currently free on bond following a video appearance for a preliminary hearing in Butler County Area I Court earlier this week.