Bomb threat resolved
The following message was sent by W. Rochelle Calhoun, dean of students and vice president for student affairs, to the Skidmore community earlier this afternoon regarding a bomb threat that led to the cancellation of morning classes.
Dear Skidmore community,
I want you to know that as of noon, the bomb threat we received earlier today has been resolved. The Saratoga Springs Police and officers and canine units from the Saratoga County Sherriff’s Office, the New York State Police, and Schenectady Police Department working with the College’s Campus Safety office, completed a thorough sweep of the campus and declared it safe for classes and other operations to resume. Thankfully, no one was hurt during this incident.
We became aware of this threat at approximately 7:30 a.m. when a student found a note on campus that said a bomb had been placed in an academic building. Campus Safety was immediately notified and the College’s Emergency Response Team ordered the cancellation of classes and the immediate closure of all academic buildings. Police then began sweeping all academic buildings with canine units.
The vigilance of our students was central to the safe and quick resolution of this matter and we are encouraging all members of the campus community to continue to attend to their surroundings and to report any additional notes or suspicious items to Campus Safety.
I also want to thank again the many offices who responded so swiftly and professionally to this situation including Campus Safety, Dining Services (who provided a safe and comfortable space for faculty, staff and students), our staff in Communications, Facilities and Residential Life, and the members of the College’s Emergency Response Group. Their work was critical to the prompt resolution of this matter.
I do want to remind everyone that campus counseling is available to meet with anyone who might want to talk with them and Residence Life staff are also willing to talk with students.
We believe that there is no immediate threat to our community. The Skidmore College Department of Campus Safety and the Saratoga Springs Police Department are requesting anyone with information regarding the bomb threat that was reported today to contact:
- (518) 580-8477 (Skidmore College TIPS Hotline)
- (518) 584-1800 (Saratoga Springs Police Department)
- (518) 584-8477 (Saratoga Springs Police Department TIPS Hotline)
All calls are confidential.
Sincerely,
W. Rochelle Calhoun
Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Affairs
