Clown sightings on campus

Home City News Clown sightings on campus
Clown sightings on campus
The clown mask local residents and students wore while roaming campus. Katie Scheu/Collegian
The clown mask local residents and students wore while roaming campus.
Katie Scheu/Collegian

Two separate groups of people wearing clown masks, one made up of students and one of Hillsdale residents, were seen on campus Tuesday evening, causing a stir on social media and resulting in multiple reports to campus security.

Hillsdale Police Chief Scott Hephner said it is not likely anyone will be charged with an official crime, but the police will fully investigate the incidents.

“We have to look at this from the victims’ end,” Hephner said. “We will investigate this incident from that standpoint.”

Detective Brad Martin will speak with sophomores Emily Holtyn and Corinne Prost, who said they called security around 7:40 p.m. on Tuesday after the masked Hillsdale residents drove past them as the two walked down Hillsdale Street, slowed, and yelled “hey ladies” before laughing and speeding off.

Multiple accounts of clown sightings on campus, including Holtyn and Prost’s, were posted on various social media accounts, fueling rumors that quickly took hold of campus.

Dean of Men Aaron Petersen said he noticed discrepancy between the different accounts he heard: “There seemed to be a lot of misinformation.”

While exaggerated rumors heightened Tuesday night’s drama, the pranks add to a series of clown-related incidents across the United States. The trend began in South Carolina with unsubstantiated reports of child harassment, and has since traveled through two dozen states, according to Time magazine.

“We don’t have any place for this in our society right now,” Hephner said. “We don’t want this to become a trend here.”

Petersen agreed.

“Our students can be playful with each other and we can appreciate that,” he said. “If our students are scared and upset, we take that seriously, too.”

Hephner recommends students travel with escorts after dark, communicate plans with friends, and call 911 immediately if personally threatened.

“This is a safe area,” Hephner said. “We don’t want students to be scared, even if this was a prank.”