DuBois student taken to HUP after 'device' explodes in room

Police have not determined cause of Friday's explosion An explosive device went off in Adonija Tienou's W.E.B. DuBois College House dorm room early Friday morning, injuring the College sophomore, University Police Lieutenant Jerry Leddy said yesterday. Tienou remains in good condition at the Hospital of the University Pennsylvania after being admitted for burns, according to HUP spokesperson Roseanne Thompson. Assistant Vice Provost for University Life Barbara Cassel said the University has grave concerns about the incident and the circumstances behind it. Leddy said University Police have not yet determined who was responsible for the explosion or how it happened. "All that is confirmed at present is that an explosive device went off in his hand," Cassel said. "But we are working diligently to determine what happened and we are concerned about the welfare of both the students and the community." A source in the VPUL's office said whoever is responsible for the explosion will likely be expelled from the residence and placed on a mandatory leave of absence from the University pending further police investigation. "The incident is in direct violation of the dorm contract students must sign every year which explicitly talks about the illegality of the use of explosive devices in residence rooms and buildings," Cassel said. College freshman and DuBois resident Ellen Scott, who lives across the hall from Tienou's room, described the incident as "serious," adding that the explosion caused visible damage to the room. She said an official meeting for DuBois residents was held earlier this week to discuss the multitude of rumors surrounding the incident. "Many rumors are circulating that it was a gunshot that went off in the room. Some students who were present at the time of the accident thought it was a gunshot from the street or something," Scott said. She added that she thought the rumors could be detrimental to the dorm's image. College senior Stanley Cantave, Tienou's roommate, said he was not in the room the morning of the incident, adding that there were few, if any, witnesses because most people had not yet moved in.