To the Temple Community,

As you may be aware, yesterday evening, there was a report of a disturbance in the Tyler School of Art and Architecture. A group of  individuals with a camera and microphones entered the building by blending in with a class that was returning from an outside activity with an instructor. The security officer was not made aware of the intruders’ presence at the time of entry.  The intruders then went on to disrupt other classes and offices.  

The Temple University Police Department (TUPD) was not notified of the intruders until they had already left the building. Once TUPD was notified, they immediately responded and completed a search of the building. The investigation is ongoing, and TUPD have identified one of the individuals as a social media influencer.

The safety and security of our students, faculty and staff members are paramount.  To that end, we must all work together to ensure our buildings remain secure. Please keep these best practices at the top of mind when accessing our secured spaces:

• Swipe/tap in, even if you are part of a class that is going outside and returning;
• Do not prop open locked doors or let people follow you into secured buildings or gain access to secured buildings as you are exiting;
• If you see something, say something.  If someone accesses an area without permission or is disruptive, immediately call Temple Police at 215-204-1234;
• Remember to download and use the new APP - TUSafe.

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.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Griffin
Vice President for Public Safety