Reported by Orlando Flores, Jr. and Ashley Baugh
Officials at the University of Texas at Austin ordered the evacuation of the campus following a bomb threat made at 8:43 a.m. Friday after a caller claiming to be with al-Qaida said he placed bombs all over campus that would go off around 10 a.m.
“UT ALERT: Immediately evacuate all buildings on campus get as far away from the buildings as possible. Further information to com,” the university’s emergency alert stated.
At 11:45 a.m., officials announced on the university’s websites that “Classes on the Main university campus are cancelled for the remainder of Friday.” However, after noon the buildings were re-opened.
Campus officials at North Dakota State University at Fargo also report evacuating their campus also due to bomb threats. According to the Indianapolis Star, students at Valparaiso University woke up today to an email advising them to be alert and report any suspicious activity following an “unspecific threat to campus.” That campus was not evacuated.
Midwestern officials said the reaction of this campus would be similar.
“We have a crisis alert team that would help out,” Director of Public Information Julie Gaynor said. “We have the MSU alert system set up to notify students and faculty. We would place an emergency alert on the front page of the school’s website and we would do everything we could to get everyone off campus as quickly as possible.”
While MSU Police Chief Dan Williams said he was keeping an eye on the situation.
“You have to look at these things as valid threats,” Williams said. “At the same time, you don’t want to over-react. It today’s time and age, you can’t discount it as nothing.”
MORE INFORMATION from The Daily Texan, the student newspaper at the University of Texas at Austin.