Campus groups, officials respond to Lauren Spierer's disappearance

In the days since IU student Lauren Spierer disappeared, the volume of the search has increased to a national level.

Locally, however, the University’s response has been comparatively muted.

Official campus action seemed slow at first, but Dean of Students Harold “Pete” Goldsmith had actually started quietly reaching out to Lauren’s family by the end of the weekend she disappeared. 

On June 6, Goldsmith sent an email to faculty and staff.

“As you have likely heard by now, IU student Lauren Spierer has been missing since early Friday and the Bloomington Police Department is conducting an intensive investigation with IU Police assisting in every way necessary,” Goldsmith stated.

He instructed campus maintenance workers to search all campus buildings and grounds, including construction sites.

“We’re looking where we can, doing anything we can to assure the family that Lauren is not on campus,” Goldsmith said.

IU-Notify, the University’s emergency alert system, did not send out any messages regarding Spierer’s disappearance.

Deborah Fletcher, director of IU Emergency Management and Continuity, said this was because IU-Notify is usually reserved for developing situations on the campus itself, such as severe weather, a campus shooter or a terrorist attack.

The University would get the information out through other methods, she said, and a notice was sent out Monday to all student clubs and organizations through the Student Activities Office.

A day later, the University’s public safety website posted a page devoted to Spierer and a banner linking to the page appeared at the top of the online student resource, OneStart.

That same day, IU Provost Karen Hanson sent out an e-mail expressing her concern for the missing student.

So far, the loudest campus voices have been those belonging to IU’s Helene G. Simon
Hillel Center and its director, Rabbi Sue Silberberg. While the center created multiple web pages to raise awareness and funds, Silberberg helped coordinate many of the searches and offered support to Lauren’s family.

Through the media, Silberberg urged anyone who might have seen Lauren between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. June 3 — the morning of her disappearance — to call the BPD.

“Even if they didn’t talk to her, they need to call,” Silberberg said. “They might think something they saw is irrelevant, and it could be very relevant. I am begging them to please, please, please call. It could be the missing piece that we need.”

The searches have included IU students, coaches and ROTC cadets. Members of the IU Student Association have also attended many of the searches, President Justin Kingsolver said.

“We had to make sure we had a reason for whatever we were going to do,” he said. “It had to be something logical, something that would actually help.”

It was eventually decided IUSA would partner with 10 other campus organizations to try and raise $20,000. Some of these organizations include the Hutton Honors College, the IU Panhellenic Association and the Union Board.

The money will help buy supplies for the searches, Kingsolver said, such as water, snacks and maps.

“Down the road, we’ll start thinking about more preventative things we can do,” Kingsolver said. “But that’s later. We have to focus on how we find Lauren now.”

Finally, on June 9 — one week after Lauren’s disappearance — IU President Michael McRobbie released a statement echoing the community’s concern.

“I have met with the parents, as has Provost Karen Hanson,” McRobbie said. “We both have pledged to them that IU will do all that we can to support them and to help find out what has happened to Lauren.”