On Friday, Sept. 14, the University of Texas at Austin and North Dakota State ordered campus evacuations following bomb threats called in to the universities. According to USA TODAY, at 8:35 a.m. (CDT), UT-Austin received a call from a man claiming to be a member of al-Qaeda, saying he had placed several bombs in different buildings across campus to be detonated at 10 a.m. UT-Austin released an evacuation order. “Immediately evacuate ALL buildings and get as far away as possible,” warned one message. UT officials later said that no bombs had been found. Classes were canceled for the remainder of the day, but buildings reopened at noon (CDT) and all other operations resumed at 5 p.m. (CDT). After receiving a similar threat, NDSU ordered all students and employees to leave campus by 10:15 (CDT). NDSU’s alert instructed 20,000 people from the main and downtown campuses in Fargo to evacuate. At around noon, NDSU lifted the evacuation order, saying campus would reopen at 1 p.m. (CDT) and classes would resume at 2 p.m. What if something happens at Wright State? At Wright State, all bomb threats are handled seriously until proven otherwise. WSUPD has an Explosives K-9 unit consisting of Galli, a Belgian Malinois, and her handler, Officer Kurt Holden. The Ohio Peace Officer’s Training Commission has certified both after extensive explosive detecting training. In the event of a bomb threat, there are some do’s and don’ts: DO keep any emails/texts relating to the threat. DO evacuate the building. DO follow all evacuation procedures, including traffic control. DON’T handle a physical document containing a threat. DON’T pull the fire alarm! DON’T touch or move anything that looks suspicious. DON’T use two-way radios or cell phones within 100 feet of a threatened building—radio signals can cause bomb detonation. WSU’s alert system sends alerts to students in the event of an emergency or campus closures and/or delays. You can add two email addresses (other than your wright.edu address), three mobile phone numbers to receive either text or voice alerts, and up to three voice-only phone numbers. Visit wright.edu/em for more information.
