Campus Alert Archive
UMD

'Less Than 10 Miles From Our Campus': President Pines's January 6 Statement to the Terps

MDcivil unrestadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the evening of January 6, 2021, as supporters of President Trump stormed the US Capitol approximately 9 miles south of the College Park campus, UMD President Darryll Pines issued a statement that opened: 'Today, we saw violence, chaos, and dangerous disregard for the rule of law in our nation's capital, less than 10 miles from our campus.' Pines closed the statement with a declaration of faith in democratic resilience and confirmed the university was monitoring the situation as many neighbors fell under Mayor Bowser's 6:00 PM curfew.

Alerts
2
Response
min
Killed
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Injured
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Institution
University of Maryland, College Park
Public R1 · MD
~41,000 studentsEverbridgeUMD Alerts
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

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 ALERTTwitter/X
Verified verbatimOffice of the UMD President: President Pines Responds to Attack on the Capitol376 chars
Today, we saw violence, chaos, and dangerous disregard for the rule of law in our nation's capital, less than 10 miles from our campus. I hope every member of our UMD community is safe. We are monitoring the situation closely, as many of our neighbors are under curfew. Even as we come to grips with the attack we witnessed today, I believe in the resiliency of our democracy.
Posted on Twitter by President Darryll Pines on the evening of January 6, 2021 and subsequently archived on the Office of the President's website -- one of the most widely-circulated statements from a Maryland public-university president that day
The phrase 'less than 10 miles from our campus' precisely captured UMD's geographic exposure: College Park is approximately 9 miles northeast of the Capitol, the closest large public R1 campus to the breach
Pines became UMD's 34th president on July 1, 2020 -- six months before this statement and during the height of COVID-19 remote operations
The reference to 'neighbors under curfew' covered both the District of Columbia (Bowser's 6 PM order) and Prince George's County residents who lived inside DC commute boundaries
UPDATEEmail+15h 30m
Approximate reconstructionReconstructed from UMD President's Office follow-up communications and Maryland Today coverage670 chars
Dear Members of the Terrapin Community: Yesterday's attack on the U.S. Capitol shocked our nation. The University of Maryland Police Department continues to coordinate with Prince George's County Police and federal authorities. While there is no specific threat to the College Park campus, members of the community should remain vigilant, avoid travel to downtown Washington, D.C., and report any suspicious activity to UMPD at 301-405-3333. UMD will continue operating in its remote winter posture through the start of the spring 2021 semester. Counseling services are available through the Counseling Center for students who need support processing yesterday's events.

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

Sent by University Communications on behalf of UMPD and the Office of the President -- a standard format for UMD community-wide safety guidance
The UMPD reachback number, 301-405-3333, is the standard 24/7 non-emergency line for the College Park campus
UMD's winter session classes were already running in a fully-remote modality due to COVID-19 -- limiting the operational impact of the advisory
The Counseling Center reference reflected a deliberate institutional choice to frame the attack as a potential mental-health stressor for students, especially for students of color and Jewish students who saw hate symbols at the Capitol
Context

Background

On the evening of January 6, 2021, University of Maryland President Darryll Pines issued a public statement from College Park -- approximately 9 miles northeast of the US Capitol -- in response to the attack. Pines's tweet, which read 'Today, we saw violence, chaos, and dangerous disregard for the rule of law in our nation's capital, less than 10 miles from our campus,' was among the most widely-circulated statements from a Maryland public-university president that day. The University of Maryland Police Department coordinated with Prince George's County Police and federal authorities and increased patrols on the eastern edge of campus near the Anacostia Freeway corridor. UMD's winter session was already operating in a fully-remote modality due to COVID-19, limiting the on-campus population. In the days that followed, Pines's statement was echoed by several UMD schools, including the UMD Prevention Research Center, which acknowledged the trauma of watching a violent mob carrying hate symbols storm the Capitol. UMD's START consortium and the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement subsequently became leading academic research hubs on the January 6 attack, producing the network map of defendants and the long-running UMD-Washington Post polls on public attitudes toward the insurrection.
Analysis

Key Findings

President Pines's January 6 statement -- 'less than 10 miles from our campus' -- was among the most widely-circulated statements from a Maryland public-university president that day
College Park sits approximately 9 miles northeast of the Capitol -- the closest large public R1 campus to the breach
Pines, who became UMD's 34th president on July 1, 2020, was managing his first national-emergency campus communication only six months into his tenure
UMD's winter session was already operating in a fully-remote modality due to COVID-19, limiting the immediate population at risk
UMD subsequently became a leading academic research hub on January 6 through START's Capitol Insurrection Network Map and the long-running UMD-Washington Post polls
Outcome
UMD was operating in COVID-19 remote mode for the winter term, limiting the on-campus population. The University of Maryland Police Department coordinated with Prince George's County Police and increased patrols on the eastern edge of campus closest to the Anacostia Freeway corridor used by some Capitol crowd members returning from DC. Pines's statement was [echoed by UMD's Prevention Research Center](https://sph.umd.edu/news/umd-prc-statement-january-6th-us-capitol-insurrection) and several UMD schools in the following days. No incidents on the College Park campus were reported.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    President Pines Responds to Attack on the Capitol -- Office of the President, University of Maryland
    president.umd.edu
  2. Official
    UMD-PRC Statement on the January 6th U.S. Capitol Insurrection -- UMD School of Public Health
    sph.umd.edu
  3. Official
    Capitol Insurrection Network Map -- START, University of Maryland
    start.umd.edu
  4. Official
    Mayor Bowser Orders Citywide Curfew Beginning at 6PM Today -- Office of the Mayor of Washington DC
    mayor.dc.gov
  5. Source
    January 6 United States Capitol attack -- Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
Tags
january-6capitol-attackcivil-unrestuniversity-of-marylandcollege-parkdarryll-pinesumd-alertsumpdwinter-2021
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion