San Francisco State University enacted a shelter-in-place order on Thursday after discovering threatening vandalism on campus, according to a campus-wide message sent by President Lynn Mahoney. The vandalism incident happened at the Science and Engineering Innovation Center, according to the University Police Department’s Daily Crime and Fire Log.
SFSU officials did not provide an exact description on the nature of the vandalism at the time of publication. The lockdown disrupted final exams and triggered a law enforcement sweep.
According to SFSU spokesperson Kent Bravo, the University Police Department received a call regarding a vandalism incident on campus at approximately 11:10 a.m.
“The vandalism included general, threatening statements about the use of firearms and explosive devices,” Dr. Mahoney wrote. “Out of an abundance of caution, UPD determined that a shelter in place was necessary and other area agencies were brought in to assist with a comprehensive sweep of campus. As the threat included a reference to a specific time, it was determined that the shelter-in-place order had to remain in effect until late afternoon. The investigation to find the individual(s) responsible is ongoing.”
The San Francisco Police Department responded around 11:50 a.m., according to SFPD spokesperson Eve Laokwansathitaya.
The shelter-in-place order was issued at around 12:30 p.m. and remained in place until approximately 4 p.m. when SFSU announced that there was no credible threat.
Alexis Barrera, a second-year student who hasn’t declared a major, remembered her initial reaction to receiving the alert.
“It took me by surprise, I wasn’t on campus so I didn’t feel the amount of shock students who were on campus at the time probably felt,” Barrera said. “I kinda just stood in place for a few minutes while I was out running some errands, like, wow, and on finals week?”
Third-year student Kevin DeAntoni thought the reaction to vandalism was absurd.
“This place is laughable in how it handles events like this,” DeAntoni said. “I don’t condone vandalism of course, but are we really going to be more upset about something minor like vandalism instead of being outraged that a considerable portion of our university staff was laid off before Christmas simply due to fiscal greed and austerity?”
The university is addressing academic disruptions caused by the incident, according to Dr. Mahoney’s statement.
“Students affected by the cancellation and disruption of finals should coordinate with faculty to explore alternative arrangements,” Dr. Mahoney said. “Faculty members are encouraged to work closely with students to ensure suitable solutions are provided.”
President Mahoney applauded the reaction from university employees.
“Many have shared stories that demonstrate our resilience—from faculty members who kept their classes focused on completing exams to staff members and students who found safe places for their folks to the administrator who ensured a visiting group of prospective international students actually enjoyed their visit,” Dr. Mahoney said.University police are continuing their investigation to identify those responsible for the vandalism. Mahoney urged campus community members to keep their contact information current in the university’s Emergency Notification System to receive critical safety communications.
This story was updated to include the location of the vandalism.
