The Communique

Issue date: 3/13/08 Section: Web Exclusive

Media Credit: www.uni.edu



Tuesday, March. 11, the University of Northern Iowa campus went into lockdown at 5:10 p.m. after a female student reported a threat. Her boyfriend Todd Younk allegedly threatened her with a gun. After officials interviewed the student to validate the threat the new campus lockdown procedure went into effect.


"A few minutes before the lockdown I tried to get in the Dancer dorm and it was locked and a police officer was hanging around the front; for the longest time there was a rumor that there was a weapon threat or a gunman on campus," said Nicole Frank, a UNI student.

UNI administrators made updates repeatedly via the UNI Web site. An update made at 6:14 p.m. said UNI Police received a threat of a gunman coming to campus to confront a student in Dancer Hall. Dancer Hall is locked down. Please stay away from towers area - Dancer Hall, Bender Hall and Towers Center.

The campus lockdown involved three different police departments, the UNI police, the state police, and the Cedar Falls police. After the buildings were locked down police officers went through Dancer Hall conducting a floor-by-floor search.

"They tried to update people every half hour [through the intercom]" explained Frank. The threat to the campus ended around 7:50 p.m. ending the nearly three-hour student lockdown.

UNI Police were in contact with the Des Moines police department as Younk was traveling from Des Moines. Younk was arrested in Windsor Heights at his mother's home and is currently being held Polk County Jail under a charge of first-degree harassment.


Media Credit: Google Maps

A map of the UNI campus.

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