Overview
- Officials activated the campus emergency system and sent a 'Run, Hide, Fight' text that said 'This is not a drill' after a report someone entered Andersen Hall yelling and appeared to have a weapon.
- Police and regional agencies swept campus buildings and located a person matching the report who was determined to be unarmed, after which the university issued an all‑clear and resumed classes.
- Students described panic, panic attacks and lasting fear from the lockdown that occurred on the first day of classes, and some said the experience may change how they respond to future alerts.
- University leaders publicly confirmed there was no threat to life safety and directed students and staff to confidential counseling through University Health and Counseling Services and the employee assistance program.
- The alert used active‑shooter language designed to prompt immediate sheltering and rapid police response, a protocol that officials say protects life but that critics and students say can cause trauma and confusion when an alarm proves to be a false alarm.