March 2019, the University of Michigan had a shooter scare. As fear spread throughout the student body, I rushed back to my apartment, and plugged into the frantic network of texts warning people to stay clear of central campus.

One group text I still remember today: people spotted a suspicious figure in a trench coat running across one of the main streets.

The University didn't actually have a shooter. The sounds of “gunshots” actually came from a sorority popping balloons.

I still remember the group text because of the embarrassment. Imagine sporting a trench coat look so menacing that people mistake you for an active shooter. To this day, I still don't own a long coat.