PV, other HBCUs ‘all clear’ after bomb threats
Prairie View A&M University was among seven historically Black colleges and universities to receive bomb threats and subsequent “all clear” notices Tuesday evening, according to university leaders.
None of the seven universities had reported an actual bomb, suspicious package or attack as of Wednesday morning. All issued “all clear” notices to their communities, the Washington Post reported.
In addition to Prairie View A&M, the other HBCUs to receive bomb threats were Howard University in Washington, D.C., Norfolk State University in Virginia, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluffs, Florida Memorial University, North Carolina Central University and Xavier University in Louisiana.
The PVAMU Senior Class Council advised followers of the bomb threat in a tweet at 4:11 p.m. Tuesday. “Prairie View A and M University has received a bomb threat. Please remain where you are.”
The threat came in at 3:39 p.m., when a caller claimed that bombs were placed on the south and east parts of campus but refused to provide specific locations, according to a safety notification sent to Prairie View students Tuesday evening.
Officers conducted safety sweeps and did not locate any suspicious packages or activity. Investigators have been unable to locate the original call source or identity of the caller, university officials said.
The university also notified students about the threats at other HBCUs. It was not immediately clear whether the threats were connected.
“While working with our federal law enforcement partners, UPD has been able to confirm that similar threats were made both locally and nationwide,” the notification reads. “These threats occurred within hours of the threat received at PVAMU. Thus far, it appears that a number of HBCU’s have been similarly targeted. The cause of the bomb threats are unclear at this time.”
Texas Southern University sent a message to its campus that “several HBCUs received phone calls regarding potential threats to their campus. All threats have been unfounded.” The message was posted by a student on Twitter.
Prairie View A&M police urged students and employees to remain vigilant, according to a campus safety notification sent at 4:38 p.m. The university is located in Waller County, some 45 miles northwest of downtown Houston.
Cameron Dockery, PVAMU’s senior class president, said the threat seemed to shake up many students who had remained on campus over winter break.
“We were all taken back and surprised because this is not something to be taken lightly,” Dockery said.
After hearing that other HBCUs dealt with similar issues Tuesday, he said, “We knew that there was something bigger going on.”