- Howard University students had to clear their dorms after bomb threats this week.
- School officials say students had to evacuate twice in 48 hours.
- "This is terrorism, and it must stop," President Wayne A.I. Frederick said Friday.
Howard University students this week were forced to evacuate their dorms twice in 48 hours amid reports of a bomb threat on campus.
"For the second time in 48 hours, students have had to evacuate residence halls during the late hours of a school night," President Wayne A. I. Frederick said in a statement on Friday. "People who love and care about them, parents, university employees, alumni, and so many others, have had to wrestle with anxiety about the veracity of another terroristic act."
Per the statement, the students at Washington, DC-based historically Black college had to clear the East and West Towers during the incidents.
"This is terrorism, and it must stop," Frederick added.
—Wayne A. I. Frederick (@HUPrez17) August 26, 2022
This comes as multiple HBCUs have been grappling with bomb threats this year, including Southern University and Delaware State University. On the first day of Black History month, nearly a dozen HBCUs were targeted, forcing classes to be held remotely. In February, the FBI said that they are investigating the threats as "racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism and hate crimes."
For Howard, specifically, this week's threat marks the university's eighth bomb threat this year, according to Fredrick. He called on law enforcement to use to resources necessary to resolve this issue.
Per The Hill, HBCU leaders spoke to Congress about the issue in March. However, since then, as Insider Higher Ed reported, have expressed their frustration with the lack of an update on the FBI investigation.
"We require extra resources from all law enforcement agencies directed towards solving this ongoing threat and bringing those who perpetrate its negative effects to full justice under the law," Frederick said in his statement.