Hectic mid-term schedules came to a sudden standstill Friday when a bomb threat forced University police to shut down both Old and New Cabell Hall as well as Wilson Hall for almost six hours.
University Police received a phone call at 9:36 a.m. warning of a bomb, and subsequently evacuated each building. The area was cordoned off until bomb-sniffing dogs from the state police could be brought in to conduct a search in each building.
According to University police, no evidence of any type of bomb was found. Buildings re-opened just after 3 p.m. Friday.
"This provides a great inconvenience to students and faculty and comes at a great expense to taxpayers," University Police Captain Michael Coleman said. "University police and fire department as well as the state police were involved."
Police still are investigating the incident though they have reported no leads. Phoning in a bomb threat is a felony.
"This is a criminal offense," Coleman said. "If you are arrested and convicted you could go to prison."
Although catching perpetrators of telephone bomb threats historically has been difficult, Coleman cited arrests made at James Madison University after a bomb threat last year as evidence that the perpetrators could be caught.
Police did not acknowledge any connection between Friday's incident and a recent bomb threat that forced the evacuation of the Aquatic and Fitness Center on February 12.
Even though police were able to re-open the buildings later that afternoon, many students already had missed classes and even tests. Students only found out about the closure through word of mouth or when they arrived for class.
History of English Literature II, a 320-student course, had a midterm exam scheduled in Wilson 402 at 10 a.m. Instructors were forced to change the test format to a take-home exam due at the end of the day.
"We distributed it to students standing in front of Wilson and mailed it to others, but students can call if they have trouble," said English Prof. Cynthia Wall, the course instructor. "I don't know how it will work, I've never had to deal with something like this before."
With many more tests scheduled for next week, students missing class expressed concern that the threat could cost them valuable class time to prepare.
"It certainly didn't make me feel comfortable missing class so close to the midterm," said first-year college student Ali Ahmad who missed Latin 201, a class with a midterm scheduled for Wednesday.
Wall also expressed concern regarding safety as well as convenience.
"This is very disturbing," Wall said. "If it is real it is disturbing in one way, and if it is fake it is disturbing in another"
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