Despite threats to U.S. transportation systems, AU students returned back to campus safely and some AU students said they were affected by the delays and searches, but it didn't change their travel plans.
As AU students vacationed across the U.S. over fall break, both Philadelphia's and New York City's public transportation systems faced terrorist threats and bomb scares.
In New York, local officials released information about a possible terrorist attack against the city's subway system on Oct. 7 and Oct. 9, despite the fact that federal officials deemed the threat not credible. Police presence was high over the weekend, and bags were randomly searched.
In New York's 50th Street Station, an abandoned bag caused subway service to be briefly shut down during the afternoon rush hour; the bag was found to contain schoolbooks. In Penn Station, a soda bottle containing a suspicious liquid was discovered near Amtrak's ticket counter. After service was suspended during the morning rush hour, the bottle's contents were revealed to be a household cleaner similar to Drano and the incident was deemed a prank.
In Philadelphia on the Friday of fall break, the busy Market East station was evacuated during rush hour due to reports of suspicious activity by a man with a backpack, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer. The man was questioned by police, and bomb-sniffing dogs picked up a positive scent from his backpack.
Brett Meril, a junior in the School of Communication, visited Philadelphia with friends over break.
"To be honest, I thought about it a little when I first heard about it, but once I got to the train station and saw how many people were there, I wasn't worried," he said.
Meril said if D.C had issued a similar warning Oct. 7, he would have been more concerned about traveling.
"I guess it might make me more mindful of the people around me, but it won't affect whether I'll ride the train or metro," he said. "I guess there's a certain risk whether you are taking a train, driving or flying, but you try not to think about it and do whatever is easiest."
Sharon Gang, a representative of Mayor Anthony Williams' office, said she did not know whether Williams would issue a warning over a threat the federal deemed not credible, like the New York mayor did.
"Mayor Williams would have to evaluate all the information on such threats before making a decision like that," she said. "He has joined with Metro officials in asking all passengers to always be aware of their surroundings."
Authorities evacuated the Washington Monument last Friday when police received a bomb threat that turned out to be a hoax.
U.S. Park Police Chief Dwight E. Pettiford said authorities felt they could not take a chance in dismissing the threat.
"In today's times, we have to take all threats seriously ... You can't cut any corners," Pettiford told The Washington Post. "We want to assure the public that we are doing the right things."
Some AU students feel that D.C. should improve the safety measures in the Metro.
"I'd say out of any metro system I've been on, the D.C. Metro needs the most improvement in terms of safety and warnings," Phillips said. "D.C. should probably take notes from New York, because New York is far ahead of D.C. in the safety of transportation."
Jesse Phillips, a sophomore in the Kogod School of Business, said the D.C. Metro should have its own color-coded terrorism alert system like the federal government has implemented.
"I am sure it will save many lives, because when people see that the country is in 'code purple,' I'm sure they live their lives accordingly," he said.
The lack of security at train stations compared to security at other forms of mass transit is astonishing, said Adam Kornblau, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, who returned home to Philadelphia last Friday by train.
"I just think its amazing how little security there is at the train station, especially compared to airports," he said. "I usually get to the train station 10 minutes before it leaves, print out my ticket, run to the gate where it's leaving from, show my ticket and then walk on"
