Students urged to avoid van driven by men in black suits on WSU, Friends campuses

Wichita State University and Friends University officials are warning students to be on the lookout for individuals in a gray van trying to lure them in for “Bible study,” according to Joseph Shepard, WSU’s student body president.

According to a news release Shepard put out on Facebook on Saturday, a student last week reported being approached by a gray 2000 Honda Odyssey van while on the WSU campus. Two men in black suits and a woman were in the vehicle, Shepard said.

The men attempted to lure the student inside the van for “Bible study,” and when she refused, they “started yelling derogatory terms at her,” Shepard said.

In his news release, Shepard said the people in the van have also attempted to “chase” and “trap” people who refuse their request.

The van has been seen on Wichita State’s campus several times, Shepard said.

It has also been seen on the Friends campus, he said, as students at that university have reported a similar scenario.

Friends University sent out a “Falcon Alert” text to its students on Saturday morning, saying: “A campus alert situation exists. Please check your student e-mail for a message with more information.”

In the e-mail to Friends students, V.P. of Student Life Carole Obermeyer said the van had also been observed “around the Keeper of the Plains area, the (Mid-America All-)Indian Center, … Dillons on Douglas and Hillside and a couple other areas.”

Richard Vinroe, Friends’ director of security, said on Saturday “we do have some information about a van and we’re working on trying to identify who is driving.”

The Wichita Police Department and the Wichita State University Police Department have been notified, Shepard said.

Wichita police Lt. James Espinoza said Saturday that he is aware of the situation and the department is looking into the allegations about the van, but he said he would not say anything else until Monday.

Shepard said if students are approached by the van, with a license tag of 446GFF, to call 911 and/or university police.

“Don’t stick around and try to get a description of who these individuals are – we’re going to let police figure that out,” Shepard said. “If you see the van approach you, do not approach them. Go the other way.”

No one has been injured, but Shepard said students should not take any chances.

“They may not have any ill intent, but we want to know exactly why they are doing that,” he said. “We are a public institution. We can’t stop who comes into our institution, but we can control when our safety is being put at risk. This is not a normal occurrence.”

This story was originally published September 12, 2015 at 6:35 PM with the headline "Students urged to avoid van driven by men in black suits on WSU, Friends campuses."