The Dayton Bomb Squad was called and the package was removed from the university about two hours later.
Authorities revealed little about the package itself. Bruce Burt, the executive director of public safety and UD’s chief of police, said the package was wrapped in duct tape and placed in a location near mechanical rooms and meeting areas — places packages are not normally delivered.
The fear was that the device may be explosive.
“The bottom line is that it’s not an explosive device, it’s been rendered safe and removed from campus,” he said. “There’s no damage and there are no injuries.”
The investigation will continue. There are no leads as to how the package got to the residence hall or who placed it there, Burt said.
If it was a student, Burt said he or she will go through an administrative process on campus that deals with behavioral issues and criminal charges.
“We use both of those when we feel it’s appropriate,” he said. “They have a due process they would go through to determine what the appropriate action would be.
“It’s hard to say at this point what that might be,” he said.
Notifications were sent to students and faculty members as the evacuation process started and then again after its conclusion.
Kristen Stumphauzer said she was barely awake when she heard her University of Dayton residence hall was being evacuated because of a “suspicious package.”
“We got a pound on our door from our (residential assistant) around 9 a.m. telling us we had to go outside,” the sophomore said. “It’s scary — especially since it’s on our floor. You don’t know what to expect.”
“(My roommate) got a text about not approaching the building because there was a suspicious device found,” said sophomore and resident Liz Ryan-Lorei, a resident of the dorm. “It was a little shocking. I didn’t expect that today.”
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