LOGAN, Utah — Even after police say all is clear, Utah State University students are frustrated and confused after once again being evacuated from a campus dormitory this week.
“I will admit it was a bit frustrating,” said student Joshua Peters.
“It’s been pretty unusual," added student Caleb Burns. "It’s been pretty frustrating.”
Students who live in Mountain View Tower said they're also stressed after being put out of their dorms and into the cold for hours last Thursday and again on Wednesday.
“We have kids standing outside in their underwear, in their robes, without shoes on and being told we can’t go inside for 15-30 minutes,” Burns shared.
The first evacuation occurred last Thursday night after a fire alarm was set off. At the time, police said Joshua Peter Jager, who is no longer enrolled at the school, was found with a mixture of chemicals in the room. The school said hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, and sodium hydroxide were among the chemicals discovered.
On Wednesday, another "Aggie Alert" signaled a second evacuation that was actually planned so campus police and their law enforcement partners could investigate the room for more hazardous materials.
“It’s not the first thing you think of when you think of Utah State, like, 'Oh! I wonder if there’s hazardous chemicals or other elements in Mountain View,'” said Peters.
As students were displaced again, they were provided accommodations and food by the university, which later confirmed that a small amount of uranium rock ore was found in the room and assessed by the FBI and Utah State's Environmental Health and Safety Department.
“It’s frustrating that we have uranium in a building where we live and where we eat and drink, and it causes a lot of frustration towards the university," Burns said. "The local Police Department and Fire Department have done all they can.”
University spokesperson Amanda DeRito explained how uranium ore is generally safe in solid form and small quantities as long as it is handled and stored properly.
“For this specific situation, I will say that all the items that were found throughout all those periods were for commercially available items,” said Utah State University Police Chief Jason Brei.
The chief added that his department wanted to operate with caution, keeping student safety at the forefront of their minds.
“Wanting to make sure we didn’t leave a contingency unidentified or unknown, and just hoping was our strategy, but that was not the case," Brei shared. "We wanted to make sure we knew. So we took those pauses, although they were inconvenient, they were necessary at the time.”
Jager has been charged with disorderly conduct and causing a catastrophe recklessly.
Brei hopes the latest search reassures students, parents, and staff.
“This was kind of just an anomaly," Peters added. "I don’t think this is going to happen again.”
