Virginia State University, a historically-Black school in Ettrick. (Photo courtesy of NBC 12)
Less than a month after opening for the new school year, two Virginia HBCUs — Virginia State and Hampton Universities — closed on Thursday after receiving threats to their campuses.
Though neither school has released details on what the threats entail, attention on campus safety has been heightened nationwide after the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.
In the past few years, Virginia’s institutions including Virginia State (VSU) and Hampton Universities have navigated multiple threats, some of which ended in no activity or followed after gun violence while others were found to be unsubstantiated.
“The safety and well-being of our students, faculty, staff, and visitors remain our highest priority,” Hampton University said in a statement Thursday morning, adding that further updates will be provided by the end of the day.
Hampton said in a statement that it received notice of a “potential threat” and has ceased all non-essential activities, effective immediately. All campus activities and classes would also be closed through Friday including athletic events and activities.
Virginia State advised the school’s community to continue checking VSU emails for updates.
Last July, Hampton locked down the school to investigate a bomb threat targeting The William R. Harvey Library and the University Dining Hall, according to WAVY News. Officials determined there was no threat.
Then, a month later in Petersburg, Virginia State locked down its school after four people, none of whom were enrolled students, were shot on Boisseau Street outside Daniel Gymnasium on the university’s campus, 8News reported. The media outlet reported that all four people were then taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
As of 12:30 p.m., no other institute in Virginia has announced any similar closure.
Historically Black educational institutions in other states were also forced to close Thursday due to threats, including Southern University in Louisiana and Alabama State University.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
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