Temple University arrested three men who snuck into Tyler to record and question classes
They “were asking provocative and inappropriate questions” and “refusing to leave when asked,” according to a note from the faculty union.
Temple University has arrested several individuals for disorderly conduct after they entered Tyler School of Art and Architecture on Wednesday night with cameras and microphones and disrupted classes.
The university has not identified the individuals, though Jennifer Griffin, vice president for public safety, said one of them was a social media influencer and a university spokesperson said none of them were Temple students or employees. The individuals have been banned from entering any university building, the school said.
Temple said it has tightened security following the incident.
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“Additional emphasis will also be placed on ensuring individuals properly identify themselves when accessing secured areas and all building security officers will be retrained on requiring all students, faculty, and staff to follow appropriate access procedures regardless of whether they have left the building with an instructor to perform a classroom assignment,” Griffin said in a message to the campus.
The individuals were able to enter the building “by blending in with a class that was returning from an outside activity with an instructor,” Griffin said.
On Thursday afternoon, Temple police noticed several people who fit the description of the Tyler intruders on campus and made the arrests, the university police department said on Twitter.
The intruders’ presence caused anxiety among students and staff, according to an email from the Temple Association of University Professionals, the faculty union.
That email identified the intruders as three males, who “were asking provocative and inappropriate questions, recording [staff and students] against their express wishes, and refusing to leave when asked.”
“TAUP has already communicated our shock at this failure of security to the provost, HR and Temple’s VP for public safety,” the union said. “We demanded that they address what could have been a far worse outcome.”