Campus Alert Archive
SJSU

Swastikas and a Three-Day Warning: Hate Graffiti in MacQuarrie Hall Threatens Mass Shooting at SJSU

CAthreat of violencetimely warningmedium confidence
Under Investigation

On November 18, 2025, racist and antisemitic graffiti threatening a mass shooting was discovered in a MacQuarrie Hall bathroom at San Jose State University. The message warned white students to stay away from campus on November 19, 20, and 21 and targeted Chinese, Muslim, and Jewish students. University Police assessed the threat as low-risk but increased security and installed temporary cameras.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
San Jose State University
Public Masters · CA
~37,000 studentsAlert SJSU
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstruction404 chars
SJSU Campus Safety Advisory: University Police are investigating threatening graffiti discovered in MacQuarrie Hall that includes hate speech and a specific threat of violence for November 19-21. UPD has assessed the threat as low-risk. Increased police foot patrols and temporary security cameras have been deployed. The campus remains open. If you see something suspicious, contact UPD at 408-924-2222.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from the SJSU Campus Safety Updates page and ABC7 reporting
The graffiti included swastikas and warned white students to avoid campus on specific dates
The threat specifically targeted Chinese, Muslim, and Jewish students
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstructionSJSU Campus Safety Updates page341 chars
SJSU Campus Safety Update: Since fall 2025, the university has experienced a series of incidents involving antisemitic, racist, and hateful graffiti. University Police continue to investigate. Additional security measures have been implemented including expanded security cameras and improved lighting. Report any suspicious activity to UPD.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from the November 25 Campus Safety Update published by SJSU
The update acknowledged this was part of a series of hate incidents on campus dating back to late October 2025
A Campus Climate Forum was held on November 19 by the Committee of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Context

Background

On November 18, 2025, San Jose State University Police responded to reports of threatening graffiti discovered in a MacQuarrie Hall bathroom. The message included swastikas and a warning for white students to stay away from campus on November 19, 20, and 21, threatening a mass shooting targeting Chinese, Muslim, and Jewish students. This was the second time in as many weeks that racist graffiti had been found on campus, with earlier incidents in late October and early November involving racist slurs in a campus housing facility. University Police assessed the threat as low-risk but increased foot patrols and installed temporary security cameras in and around MacQuarrie Hall. The FBI was notified. Some professors in MacQuarrie Hall chose to move classes online or cancel them entirely. The CAIR San Francisco Bay Area chapter expressed concern about the pattern of hateful incidents. SJSU's official campus safety update on November 25 acknowledged the ongoing series of incidents and detailed expanded security measures.
Analysis

Key Findings

The graffiti specifically threatened a mass shooting on three named dates targeting racial and religious minorities
This was part of a series of hate incidents on campus dating back to late October 2025
University Police assessed the threat as low-risk; the campus remained open
The FBI was notified and no suspects were identified
Outcome
The threat was assessed as low-risk. No shooting or violence occurred on the dates specified. Some professors in MacQuarrie Hall moved classes online or cancelled them. The campus remained open with increased foot patrols and temporary security cameras. The FBI was notified. No suspects were identified.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Increased security at SJSU after racist graffiti threatening mass shooting (ABC7)
    abc7news.com
  2. News
    Racist and threatening graffiti discovered on SJSU campus (KTVU)
    ktvu.com
  3. Official
    Graffiti and Threats Response (SJSU)
    sjsu.edu
  4. Official
    Campus Safety Update: Nov. 25 (SJSU)
    sjsu.edu
  5. Source
    CAIR-SFBA Expresses Deep Concern Over Racist, Threatening Graffiti at SJSU (CAIR)
    ca.cair.com
Tags
threat-of-violencehate-crimecaliforniaantisemitismgraffitipublic-universityfbi-notifiedUnder Investigation
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion