Just as Washburn Vice President of Student Affairs Randy Pembrook was asking recipients of associate and bachelor’s degrees to stand and be recognized, a fire alarm rang out through a crowded Lee Arena.

Asking the crowd to remain calm and in place, university officials quickly confirmed that there was no danger and the alarm was indeed false. After a brief interruption, which gave many a graduate a chance to laugh off some nervous energy and wave to friends and family, the fall graduation ceremony reconvened. 

Witnesses later reported that the alarm had been intentionally pulled by an unnamed individual who was caught in the act by campus security. These reports remain unconfirmed at this time.