Wording not preserved
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WSSU
Bomb threat prompts a building-by-building search without evacuation; no device found
AI-generated · every claim is source-linkedConfirmed HoaxDetermined to be a hoax. The institutional response is documented because it reveals how the alert system performed under a perceived real threat.
On Wednesday, February 9, 2022, Winston-Salem State University received a bomb threat by phone around 11:30 a.m. EST. The HBCU judged there was not enough credible evidence to evacuate buildings but brought in Winston-Salem police and Forsyth County deputies, who searched every campus building and found no device by about 4:10 p.m. EST. It was one of dozens of threats against HBCUs in early 2022.
- Alerts
- 2
- Response
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- Killed
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~5,100 studentsRave Guardian
Documented Timeline
Alert Sequence
2 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim
Confirmed wording is transcribed character-for-character from a primary source. Use Verify this quote under each message to open that source in a new tab and compare the text yourself.
Some messages in this sequence are documented (their existence, timing, and channel are sourced) but their exact wording is not preserved in the public record. Those entries appear as placeholders; only confirmed text is displayed.
Verified verbatim124 chars
So far, no substantiated risks have been found. The situation has been contained and there is no immediate threat to campus.
Verify this quote
WFMY News 2 quoting the message WSSU sent to students and faculty via its alert system; identical wording reproduced by 88.5 WFDDwfmynews2.comfind archived copiesQuoted verbatim by WFMY News 2 and WFDD as the message 'WSSU officials sent out to students and faculty via its alert system' resolving the bomb threat.
Worded as a status update ('so far... contained... no immediate threat to campus') rather than an explicit 'all clear', it nonetheless served as the notification that lifted the threat after the building-by-building search.
Context
Background
Winston-Salem State University, a public HBCU founded in 1892, was one of many historically Black colleges targeted during a sustained wave of bomb threats in early 2022. On Wednesday, February 9, 2022, WSSU received a threat by phone around 11:30 a.m. EST. The university evaluated the threat and decided there was not enough credible evidence to evacuate, but called in the Winston-Salem Police Department and Forsyth County Sheriff's Office to search every campus building. By shortly before 4:10 p.m. EST, officers had found no device. The university used its Rave Guardian-based alert system to reach students by email, text, and phone. The threat fed into an FBI investigation of more than 50 threats against HBCUs, and Governor Roy Cooper later met with HBCU leaders over the campaign.
Analysis
Key Findings
WSSU chose threat assessment over automatic evacuation, searching all buildings while keeping operations running
The incident was part of a coordinated nationwide campaign of 50-plus bomb threats against HBCUs in early 2022 that drew FBI and gubernatorial attention
No explosive device was found; the threat resolved as a hoax roughly four and a half hours after the call
Outcome
Law enforcement searched all campus buildings and found no explosive device. No evacuation was ordered. The threat was part of a wave of more than 50 bomb threats against HBCUs investigated by the FBI.
Provenance
Sources
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Cite this case
Campus Alert Archive. "Winston-Salem State University: Bomb threat prompts a building-by-building search without evacuation; no device found." Incident of February 9, 2022. Added May 2026; last updated June 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/winston-salem-state-university-bomb-threat-2022-02-09/
Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.
Tags
bomb-threatnorth-carolinahbcuhbcu-threat-wave-2022hoaxwinston-salememergency-notificationHoax
Added May 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion