A University of Hawai'i groundskeeper unearthed a rusted hand grenade at Andrews Amphitheatre yesterday, prompting UH officials to send a campus-wide e-mail alert.

Police bomb specialists determined the device was a non-explosive training grenade.

Workers were digging a 6-inch hole as part of preparations for Monday's law school graduation ceremony when they discovered the grenade. Police and campus security were called at 11 a.m., and the police bomb squad removed the grenade about 11:20 a.m.

"It didn't appear to be a live piece of ordnance, but we treated it as if it was," said Gregg Takayama, UH-Manoa spokes-man. "If we thought it was dangerous, we would have evacuated the area."

Takayama said the grenade did not have a pin in it and was severely rusted.

UH officials sent an e-mail to all faculty, staff and students and activated a new emergency warning system that sends e-mails and pages to more than 100 school emergency managers.

Reach Peter Boylan at pboylan@honoluluadvertiser.com.