Student turns herself in and is released pending warrant application
By: SPENCER GLEASON
Editor-in-Chief
A Meramec student has been released from the Kirkwood Police Department after turning herself in, following a tweet that she sent out that was directed toward the Meramec Financial Aid Department.
The student, whose name was not available at the time of press, sent out the tweet expressing her displeasure with the Financial Aid Department. STLCC-Meramec officials described the tweet as “threatening” in a press release to students, staff and faculty. The tweet has since been removed.
“There are a lot of things that we say spontaneously that we would never publish because it’s our emotion that we are expressing,” Director of Community Relations Toni Oplt said. “But once it’s posted, it takes on a different connotation for people.”
Sometime prior to 9:26 a.m. this morning the student’s tweet was sent out to the public.
“It’s on a server somewhere. She may have taken the tweet down, but it’s always out there somewhere,” Meramec Communications Specialist Chuck McPherson said.
At 10:22 a.m. an email was sent to Meramec faculty and staff, stating that the school had been alerted that a current student had made a “threatening tweet regarding frustration with the financial aid process.” Students were notified that the Financial Aid Office would be closed until the following day.
The email reported that Meramec had increased security to deal with the matter and that the school was “in the process of contacting [the student].”
A second email was sent out to the students at 11:12 a.m. notifying them of the situation, noting that the “student has been told she cannot come on campus.” By approximately 1 p.m., the student turned herself into the Kirkwood Police Department and was being held in custody pending charges. The Financial Aid Office reopened shortly after 1 p.m.
At 2:50 p.m. STLCC students, faculty and staff received another update from campus officials reporting that the student involved was released from custody pending an application for a warrant, expected to be complete by Thursday, Aug. 29. According to the press bulletin, the student has been told she cannot return to any St. Louis Community College location.
“I think people are not quite as aware of how public social media is and how easily it is to see things on people’s Facebook page,” said Oplt. “You get into this relaxed mode of having conversations with your friends, but in reality there are all kinds of ways of how that information travels out there. I think we forget about that.”
The Montage will provide updates on this story as more details are available.
