Editorial: Strange substance displaces dozens

Around 3:30 p.m. yesterday students on the Lawrenceville campus were alarmed by the sudden arrival of emer-    gency personnel outside of the Moore Library. It was clear that something important was occurring when Lawrence Township police appeared, along with fire engines, an ambulance, a Hazmat team and TV helicopters. President Mordechai Rozanski sent students an e-mail saying that an unknown substance had been discovered in the Moore Library.
In a “no kidding” scenario, everyone got the message and its updates too late, after most knew exactly what had happened. Ideally, people would be informed when the scare is happening. Yesterday, network problems stopped students from getting prompt warning.
It was bad luck for students in the library who missed out on valuable studying time in the second to last week of classes. Even though the substance was harmless, it caused agitation among the Rider community. Still, thanks to the quick thinking of library personnel and the quick response by emergency officials, Rider students were protected from what potentially could have been a dangerous event.