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Some historically Black colleges and universities received bomb threats this week, the fourth wave of similar threats in less than two months.
Fayetteville State University suspended classes and campus operations Wednesday after law enforcement confirmed receiving a threat, according to a press release. Commuter students and employees evacuated the North Carolina campus, and students living on campus had to shelter in place. University police closed all campus exits except the main exit and did a sweep of the grounds and buildings to search for suspicious devices or packages.
The university police department was assisted by the Fayetteville Police Department, the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office and Fayetteville City/Cumberland County Emergency Management, as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the State Bureau of Investigation and the North Carolina Highway Patrol.
“I am deeply disturbed by the recent reports of senseless bomb threats directed at HBCUs across our nation and particularly at Fayetteville State University today,” Fayetteville chancellor Darrell T. Allison said in the release. “Considering this threat, we acted quickly to ensure the health and safety of our university community. This university remains committed to our mission and vision of educating bright leaders all while making safety our first priority.”
Claflin University in South Carolina also received a threat Wednesday, WACH Fox News reported. Students sheltered in place in dormitories, and the Orangeburg Department of Public Safety investigated the threat. A university text alert told students the shelter-in-place order was canceled after a search of the campus.
A bomb threat was made Wednesday morning at Winston-Salem State University, also in North Carolina, according to Fox8. The call came into the university’s main line at 11:30 a.m., but university police determined it was not an immediate threat and campus operations continued. University police had assistance from the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office and the Winston-Salem Police Department and did sweeps of campus buildings.
Howard University received a similar threat Monday morning and issued an all clear that afternoon. The Washington, D.C., campus has been targeted on four separate occasions since January.
