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Clowns have become a trending topic in the United States this past month, and recent rumors have surfaced that some have been sighted here on Grand View’s campus. Despite the rumors, Grand View administrators said campus surveillance cameras have yet to record a clown anywhere on campus

The first clown sighting, according to The Guardian, was in South Carolina back in August. Reports from witnesses claimed that the clowns were attempting to lure women and children into the woods.  The question of whether it is a hoax or a real issue is still a debate, though many people have been arrested with connections to the sightings.

The Des Moines Register reported earlier this month that clowns have been spotted on the University of Iowa and Iowa State University campuses.

The local sightings are becoming a topic of discussion for Grand View staff.

“If a student were walking around in a clown outfit, a determination would have to be made,” Vice President of Student Affairs Jay Prescott said. “Are they creating an unreasonable disturbance on campus? Are they creating an educational disturbance in the classroom?”

As Halloween approaches, each case of a clown sighting would have to be scrutinized individually, Prescott says.

“If I saw a student walking around with a clown head, I would think it’s kind of funny,” Robert Secrets, a criminal justice major, said.

Ernesto Escobar, a criminal justice major, said that while the clowns themselves may be amusing, it is what they represent that troubles him.

According to Heavy.com, at least 39 states have experienced strange clown sightings, and the number is still growing.