Editor’s note: This story was updated at 2:35 p.m. after the release of a statement by University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel.

ANN ARBOR, MI - A University of Michigan sorority has apologized for the balloon-popping exercise that set off an active shooter scare last week.

The sorority alpha Kappa Delta Phi apologized both for their role and their lack of immediate response to the incident in a letter published Sunday, March 24 in the university’s student newspaper, The Michigan Daily.

"It is unacceptable to merely pass off our actions as a poorly timed coincidence," the letter said. "To do so would be to ignore the politically-charged atmosphere that day and the many serious events on campus that preceded the false alarm.

"Failure to acknowledge these circumstances would only further enable us to benefit from the privilege that comes with a lack of understanding about the real dangers and fears that many of our fellow peers, students of color and Muslim students live with on a day to day basis."

Nearly a dozen police agencies rushed to campus after receiving about 20 calls on the afternoon of Saturday, March 16 for a report of a suspected active shooter at Mason Hall, near a vigil for the New Zealand mosque shootings.

Students and protesters fled campus, some in tears, while others sheltered in place. After hours searching the campus buildings, police concluded the concerns stemmed from a team-building exercise in which about 12 balloons were popped.

Audio footage of 911 calls obtained by The Ann Arbor News showed the fear the popping noises incited, as well as the frustration that came a few minutes later, when callers learned balloons were the culprit.

Following the incident, the university offered on-campus counseling and encouraged students to sign up for the university alert system.

A vigil attendee, Sen. Jeff Irwin, D-Ann Arbor, fought tears after the scare.

“The part of it that’s sad is that people are so fearful, and the racialized violence you see all over the world has gotten people on edge, even here.”

The sentiment was echoed in a statement released by university president Mark Schlissel on Monday, March 25. In it, he said that though the response to such as scare went as planned, the university found deficiencies in its alert system. He also noted the spread of false information during the scare and the trauma inflicted from the entire incident.

The second of two town halls on the incident is planned for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 27 in the Michigan League Ballroom, according to the statement.

“We must always strive to be better, safer and more supportive in every way possible, and the feedback we have heard from many of you is a critical component of what we have learned from the incident,” Schlissel said in the note to community members. “There is no doubt we must do more to keep our campus safe, and I assure you we are working on changes that we can implement now and going forward.”

The sorority, in its letter, said members used the last week to process what happened.

"While our words cannot undo the trauma that was experienced that day, we will use Saturday’s events as a way to further educate ourselves more about social justice and to empower and uplift our fellow Muslim community and communities of color," the letter said.

To read the full letter, click here.