A UW System school and a Big Ten university experienced bomb threats Wednesday, just days after the deadliest shooting in U.S. history.
Eight buildings at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities were evacuated after a professor found a bomb threat note Wednesday afternoon.
University police were notified around noon and conducted an exhaustive search, but no bomb was found.
""The eight buildings evacuated earlier in the day have been thoroughly searched and nothing unusual was located,"" U of M Police Chief Greg Hestness said in a news release, ""The buildings will remain closed and under surveillance this evening.""
The threat, just days after the Virginia Tech shooting, had students praising university efforts.
""It's comforting to know that the university is taking this seriously in creating a safe environment for all of us, but the person who is responsible for it all has caused students at the university a lot of distress,"" said Amanda Gaines, a U of M sophomore.
An advisory ""emergency announcement"" was sent out via e-mail and was received by students, faculty and staff throughout the afternoon.
Brian Welshons, a U of M sophomore, said the university evacuated students as quickly as possible, followed by an effort to prevent panic.
""I think the e-mail was more to inform students so they didn't panic from not knowing what was going on,"" he said, noting that multiple helicopters circled the East Bank campus.
Campuses across the country have evacuated buildings due to threats in the days following the Virginia Tech shooting. Welshons attributed the response at the Twin Cities campus to fears of a possible copy-cat incident.
""I think that it's just because of Virginia Tech, but the university is taking this a lot more seriously than they would,"" he said.
Officials on the UW-La Crosse campus intercepted a similar bomb-threat note yesterday. It led to the evacuation of Sanford Hall, an on-campus dormitory. University and city police conducted a search but did not find any evidence of a bomb. Students safely returned to the building later in the evening.
