A Friday morning bomb threat prompted the evacuation of a Vassar College dormitory.
The threat, which school officials said was “determined with certainty to be a hoax,” specifically targeted the campus’ Davison House building, which is home to 191 students.
“The investigation to determine who is responsible for this hoax is ongoing,” Vassar College President Elizabeth H. Bradley said in a 2 p.m. statement. “We will update the campus community when we have more information.”
Bradley called the situation “disturbing and unsettling” and recommended that anyone traumatized by the evacuation use the school’s wellness resources.
New Vassar students began moving into campus housing on Monday, with dorms opening for returning students on Friday, according to the institution’s online calendar. Classes begin on Tuesday.
Friday’s bomb scare was not the first hoax to target a university ahead of the new school year. Villanova, Kansas State, Northern University of Arizona and the University School of Nashville are among the schools that have fielded false reports about active shooters or other threats in recent weeks.
A small online community, calling itself “Purgatory,” has claimed to be responsible for about a dozen fake school shooter calls since Aug. 21.
A leader of the group spoke with Wired earlier this week and said they profit by calling in safety threats to universities, as well as hospitals, businesses and airports. Purgatory reportedly charges around $95 for a “school swatting.”
According to Wired, the group has been linked to a violent extremist network called The Com, which conducts targeted campaigns against children on seemingly harmless online platforms. Members of The Com and its subgroups have been accused of grooming and coercing kids to commit horrific acts of abuse or self-harm.
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