Hungary: Students Have Had Enough of Bomb Alerts · Global Voices
Marietta Le

The second semester started three weeks ago at Hungarian universities. It's not an easy thing going to school again after a capricious period full of exams, and now it has even become annoying for some. Students of Corvinus University of Budapest have already experienced three bomb alerts so far in this semester. After the third one, this week they started to campaign against the unknown person blocking the university's life with calls reporting a bomb was placed somewhere on the campus.
The students of Corvinus considered the act totally incomprehensible and uncomfortable. Tymi of Szappanopera blog wrote a post (HUN) titled “Bomb Alert? Oh… just the usual!” on Wednesday:
A bomb alert is usual for whom? Of course for BRFK [Budapest Police Headquarters] and the bomb squad. At Corvinus University there have already been three bomb alerts in this very semester, and none of them were training exercises.
The first one happened in the first week of the term, on Wednesday. Those who came by 8 AM, couldn't enter the main building. From the new “Yellow Monster” [a new building] they bundled out the students half an hour later. Those who heard the news about the main building, weren't surprised. It was assumed that they would check the other building, too. Then it was “fun,” we were happy to have some extra free time. We didn't feel like we were missing something, since in the first week teachers only rush through the syllabus, if it's needed we create groups for the tasks of the semester, and then everybody leaves. It's not a big loss for the students. The annoying thing was that we had to wake up early to reach the lecture/seminar beginning at 8 o'clock. The timing of the threat was a bit strange. In the first week there are no exams, no tests, no guest speakers, no minister nor top dog visiting. Okay then…
A week goes by calmly, and in the third week of the semester on Monday the campus on the Pest side was evacuated again. Most of the students don't have classes on Monday, so the timing is foolish again! Who the heck is such a loser that he can't even disturb some important event, but the calmness of those working there? However the bomb alert expanded to all the three buildings of the campus. I could say the caller improved so. Most of us were smiling, and shaking their heads.
Then in the same week, today, there's a bomb alert again. When I got off the tram in the very dawn (at 7:30am) and saw two policemen standing in front of the main entrance, I assumed that there was something happening again. A girl getting off the tram at the same time expressed the same opinion as mine with a loud “dammit”. Why did I wake up so early again for nothing?! […] It was okay in the first week that there was no school, but now the students don't feel like having fun either, since classes that are held only in every second week are cancelled this way. We have to make up for these some time, but presumably on very inconvenient dates. […]
However the events raised awareness among students to use social networks and micro-blogging sites more frequently to be informed in time. Corvinyusz of Corvinull blog blamed the communication of the university in her  post (HUN). She also started a poll (HUN) about what kind of medium would the students prefer for instant communication from the university.
[…] And what is missing on behalf of the university? THE COMMUNICATION! From where did I get to know all the three dates in time? From Twitter and e-mail, and then I googled it up and found it online, too, then I called up my friends, who didn't know anything yet. All this happened between 9 and 10 every time. But the one of today, I couldn't find it on the net, so I picked up the phone to verify it (the seventh number did answer…) […]
Gesa and Laura are two exchange students at Corvinus, they also published their Facebook activity on their blog to demonstrate how the bomb alert made them upset:
Today we had bomb threat number 3 in 3 weeks so far. We are not sure what's going on in this city and with this school, but we are getting a little annoyed. If random students call in all the time, can they not call in 5 days in the row. Then we could at least go on vacation for one week! […]
Lauras Status: Laura Baum Bomb threat number 3! I'm here for 3 weeks now. Means 1 bomb threat every week. Where the hell are we?!?! […]
Corvinus students tweeted information about the bomb alert by the hashtags Corvinus and bombariadó (‘bomb alert’), and started Facebook groups dealing with the topic. For example against the one who distracts them from studying: Legyen bombariadó a Corvinuson bombariadót csináló lakásában!!! (HUN) (“Make a bomb alert in the apartment of the one who makes bomb alert at Corvinus!!!”). Another one is Bombariadó van? Haha,dejó.//Megint?? Najo,visszafekszem.//MEGINT??? F*szom demonstrates the levels the students have gone through from having fun of extra free time for sleeping to being totally annoyed. And another group promotes online communication among students: I check my e-mail before going to school, to make sure there's no bomb alert.