The College Fix

The Clown Panic of 2016 started in an apartment complex in South Carolina and fanned out across the country – just today schools in suburban Cincinnati were closed after a report of a clown attack.

Civil liberties like clowning are always tenuous in a panic, but Auburn University has confirmed that it won’t crack down on harlequinned students following its own clown scare.

As Reason reported last week, Auburn’s Department of Public Safety sent a campus alert saying it and the municipal police had “received a few reports of people dressed in clown costumes on campus,” as well as social media posts “that suggested the same”:

We have seen similar reports of clown sightings at other universities and towns across the State of Alabama and the Southeast. …

We also had a report of students walking around looking for people dressed as clowns. For your safety, we strongly encourage you to leave this job to Auburn Police. Please use good judgment and avoid wearing clown masks, as it could be perceived as a hazard or threat to others.

MORE: Clemson walks back ban on Harambe depictions

Ronald McDonald Trump: Could America's "creepy clown panic" be a subconscious response to the US election? pic.twitter.com/vSUzR92xnN

— Micah Hanks (@MicahHanks) September 27, 2016

Police still haven’t tracked down any bozos, and campus authorities don’t know of “any additional clown sightings” since the bulletin went out, spokesperson Mike Clardy told The Fix in an email.

The warning to “avoid wearing clown masks” was not a statement that Auburn would bring up students on disciplinary charges if they did wear a mask, Clardy said: Unlike residence life staff at some colleges recently, Auburn’s resident assistants have not created new clown-related infractions out of whole cloth.

“Students were encouraged to use good judgment, for their own safety and the safety of others, due to widespread threats and concerns involving clowns throughout the state,” Clardy said:

If a student violates the Code of Student Conduct, he or she may be subject to disciplinary action, but Auburn is not specifically punishing students for wearing clown masks.

Pressed on whether wearing a clown mask might elevate a permitted activity into a conduct violation such as harassment, Clardy said: “Simply wearing a mask in and of itself is not determinative of a violation.”

The school’s Emergency Management office reacted swiftly when a student responded to its alert by mentioning tasers.

Please remember, tasers are prohibited on campus per the AU weapons policy. If you feel threatened by someone, dial 911! https://t.co/ndnQYFpYiP

— AU Campus Safety (@AuburnSafety) September 20, 2016

Clardy said that Twitter rebuke wasn’t borne of a history of taser or nonlethal weapon attacks on campus. It was

an educational opportunity to remind our campus constituents that tasers are not permitted on campus and that individuals should always dial 911 if they feel threatened, as opposed to taking matters into their own hands.

With those assurances from the administration, happy clowning, Tigers! (And if you do get punished or “educated” for wearing a mask while acting lawfully, tweet or email us.)

Read Reason‘s initial report for a short history of the Clown Panic of 2016.

MORE: UMass didn’t exactly say you can’t be punished for Harambe jokes

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