Campus Alert Archive
Gonzaga

Phoned bomb threat empties all campus buildings for three hours; no device found

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WAbomb threatemergency notificationmedium confidence
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At approximately 7:00 AM PDT on Thursday, September 25, 2014, Spokane police received a call from a male stating there was a bomb on the Gonzaga University campus. All campus buildings were evacuated as Spokane Police's Explosives Disposal Unit and Gonzaga Security conducted a building-by-building sweep. Gonzaga rapidly emailed all students to evacuate all academic and administrative buildings. The campus was cleared by approximately 10:00 AM PDT, and classes scheduled for 10:30 AM PDT resumed normally. No explosive device was found.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Gonzaga University
Private R2 · WA
All Gonzaga cases →
ZagAlert
Official alert policy
Read when and how Gonzaga says it will use ZagAlert: summarized, quoted, and analyzed.
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

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.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Verified verbatimThe Spreadit and The Easterner (Eastern Washington University student newspaper) both quote this exact ZagAlert email text sent to all students after police received the bomb threat at approximately 7:00 AM PDT; The Easterner reported Gonzaga students received the email 'rapidly'152 chars
A police emergency has been identified on the Gonzaga University, a non-specific bomb threat. Please evacuate all academic and administrative buildings.
Sent at approximately 7:00 AM PDT on September 25, 2014, shortly after police received the threat call; The Easterner reported students received the email 'rapidly'
The phrase 'identified on the Gonzaga University' is preserved exactly as transmitted, with the original grammar intact
The instruction to evacuate 'all academic and administrative buildings' dispersed people away from structures rather than directing them to shelter in place
ALL CLEAREmail
Wording not preserved
A all clear message is documented at this point in the sequence, but its exact wording is not preserved in the public record. The public edition displays only confirmed alert text.
Message elements

How the first alert is built

To check this alert, Claude (an AI) read it in full 25 separate times, independently. Each read decided whether the message answers each of the six questions and gave a short reason. A final reviewer then weighed all 25 and wrote the plain-English verdict you see when you open a row. The score (for example 22/25) is how many reads agreed; the 25 individual reads are tucked underneath if you want to check them.

A police emergency has been identified on the Gonzaga University, a non-specific bomb threat. Please evacuate all academic and administrative buildings.

  • Sourceabsent10/25

    Final assessment

    A majority finds the source absent: "A police emergency has been identified" describes the situation, not a sender; ten reads count police or the named university as the authority.

    Who is sending the alert and who is responding. People act faster on a message from a clearly identifiable, credible sender, such as a named department, the police, or a branded alert system, than on an anonymous notice. A branded signature counts.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. absent: No sender tag appears, only "A police emergency has been identified".
    2. present: "A police emergency has been identified" references police as the authority.
    3. absent: No sender tag, branded signature, or named authority appears in the text.
    4. present: The reference to "A police emergency has been identified" identifies a responding authority.
    5. present: It references "A police emergency" and names "Gonzaga University".
    6. absent: No sender or branded signature is identified, only "A police emergency" describes the situation.
    7. absent: No sender tag or university self-naming as sender, though "police emergency" and "Gonzaga University" appear.
    8. absent: "A police emergency has been identified" references police but no sender tag or issuing authority is named.
    9. present: "A police emergency" references the responding authority/police.
    10. present: "A police emergency" references a responding authority.
    11. absent: No sender or branded signature appears, only "A police emergency has been identified".
    12. absent: No sender or branded signature appears; "police emergency" describes the situation, not an issuer tag.
    13. absent: No sender tag, signature, or issuing authority is named in the text.
    14. absent: No sender tag, university name, or issuing agency is identified.
    15. absent: No sender, signature, or named authority appears; "A police emergency" describes a situation, not a named issuer.
    16. present: It names "A police emergency" identified on "Gonzaga University", an issuing authority context.
    17. present: "A police emergency has been identified" identifies police as the issuing authority.
    18. absent: No sender tag or named agency issuing is identified; "A police emergency" references responders generically.
    19. absent: No sender tag appears; "A police emergency" references no specific issuer.
    20. absent: No sender or branded signature; "police emergency" references an agency action, not the sender tag.
    21. present: "A police emergency" identifies the responding authority.
    22. absent: No sender or branded signature appears, only a reference to "A police emergency".
    23. present: "A police emergency has been identified" identifies police as the authority.
    24. absent: No sender tag or issuing authority is identified in the text.
    25. present: It cites "police emergency" and "Gonzaga University", naming source/authority.
  • Hazardpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree the hazard is present; the alert names a non-specific bomb threat, a specific hazard type.

    What the threat actually is. A complete warning names the specific danger, such as a shooter, a fire, a tornado, or a gas leak, rather than a vague emergency, because people decide what to do based on what they are facing.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It names "a non-specific bomb threat", a specific hazard.
    2. present: It names "a non-specific bomb threat", a specific hazard type.
    3. present: It names "a non-specific bomb threat", a specific hazard.
    4. present: It names a specific threat: "a non-specific bomb threat".
    5. present: It names "a non-specific bomb threat", a specific threat.
    6. present: It names "a non-specific bomb threat", a specific threat type.
    7. present: It names "a non-specific bomb threat", a specific threat type.
    8. present: It names "a non-specific bomb threat", a specific hazard type.
    9. present: It names "a non-specific bomb threat", a specific threat type.
    10. present: It names "a non-specific bomb threat", a specific threat type.
    11. present: It names "a non-specific bomb threat", a specific threat type.
    12. present: It names "a non-specific bomb threat", a specific threat.
    13. present: It names "a non-specific bomb threat", a specific threat type.
    14. present: It names "a non-specific bomb threat", a specific hazard.
    15. present: "a non-specific bomb threat" names a specific hazard.
    16. present: It states "a non-specific bomb threat", a specific threat type.
    17. present: It names "a non-specific bomb threat", a specific threat.
    18. present: It names "a non-specific bomb threat", a specific threat type.
    19. present: "a non-specific bomb threat" names a specific threat type.
    20. present: It names "a non-specific bomb threat", a specific threat type.
    21. present: It names "a non-specific bomb threat", a specific threat type.
    22. present: It names "a non-specific bomb threat", a specific threat type.
    23. present: It names "a non-specific bomb threat", a specific threat.
    24. present: It names "a non-specific bomb threat", a specific hazard.
    25. present: It names "a non-specific bomb threat", a specific threat type.
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree specific locations are given: Gonzaga University and all academic and administrative buildings.

    Where the threat is. Saying whether danger is in a specific building, a part of campus, or area-wide lets people judge their own proximity and choose a safe direction. Without a where, a warning is hard to act on precisely.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: It cites "the Gonzaga University" and "academic and administrative buildings", places.
    2. present: It specifies "Gonzaga University" and "all academic and administrative buildings".
    3. present: It names "the Gonzaga University" and "academic and administrative buildings", locations.
    4. present: It specifies "the Gonzaga University" and "all academic and administrative buildings".
    5. present: It specifies "Gonzaga University" and "all academic and administrative buildings".
    6. present: It says "the Gonzaga University" and "all academic and administrative buildings", specific places.
    7. present: It names "the Gonzaga University" academic and administrative buildings.
    8. present: It names "the Gonzaga University" and "academic and administrative buildings".
    9. present: It names "the Gonzaga University" and "academic and administrative buildings".
    10. present: It specifies "the Gonzaga University" and "all academic and administrative buildings", named places.
    11. present: It locates it at "the Gonzaga University" and "all academic and administrative buildings".
    12. present: It names "Gonzaga University" and "all academic and administrative buildings", specific places.
    13. present: It locates it at "Gonzaga University" and "all academic and administrative buildings".
    14. present: It names "the Gonzaga University" and "all academic and administrative buildings".
    15. present: "the Gonzaga University" and "all academic and administrative buildings" specify locations.
    16. present: It says "the Gonzaga University" and "all academic and administrative buildings".
    17. present: It names "the Gonzaga University" and "all academic and administrative buildings".
    18. present: It names "the Gonzaga University" and "academic and administrative buildings".
    19. present: It names "the Gonzaga University" and "academic and administrative buildings."
    20. present: It specifies "the Gonzaga University" and "all academic and administrative buildings".
    21. present: It cites "the Gonzaga University" and "all academic and administrative buildings", specific places.
    22. present: It cites "the Gonzaga University" and "all academic and administrative buildings", specific places.
    23. present: It cites "the Gonzaga University" and "all academic and administrative buildings".
    24. present: It names "the Gonzaga University" and "all academic and administrative buildings", specific places.
    25. present: It cites "Gonzaga University" and "academic and administrative buildings".
  • Guidancepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree guidance is present; the alert instructs recipients to evacuate all academic and administrative buildings.

    The protective action to take. A clear, specific instruction, such as shelter in place, evacuate, avoid the area, or run-hide-fight, drives faster and more correct protective behavior than describing the threat alone.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: "Please evacuate all academic and administrative buildings" instructs a protective action.
    2. present: It instructs to "evacuate all academic and administrative buildings", a protective action.
    3. present: It instructs "evacuate all academic and administrative buildings", a protective action.
    4. present: It instructs recipients to "evacuate all academic and administrative buildings".
    5. present: It instructs "evacuate all academic and administrative buildings".
    6. present: It instructs "Please evacuate all academic and administrative buildings", a protective action.
    7. present: It instructs to "evacuate all academic and administrative buildings".
    8. present: "Please evacuate all academic and administrative buildings" is a protective instruction.
    9. present: It instructs "Please evacuate all academic and administrative buildings".
    10. present: It instructs "Please evacuate all academic and administrative buildings", a protective action.
    11. present: It instructs "evacuate all academic and administrative buildings", a protective action.
    12. present: It instructs "Please evacuate all academic and administrative buildings", a protective action.
    13. present: It instructs "evacuate all academic and administrative buildings".
    14. present: It instructs "Please evacuate all academic and administrative buildings".
    15. present: "Please evacuate all academic and administrative buildings" is a protective instruction.
    16. present: It instructs "Please evacuate all academic and administrative buildings", a protective action.
    17. present: It instructs "Please evacuate all academic and administrative buildings".
    18. present: It instructs to "evacuate all academic and administrative buildings".
    19. present: "Please evacuate all academic and administrative buildings" is a protective action.
    20. present: It instructs "evacuate all academic and administrative buildings", a protective action.
    21. present: It instructs "Please evacuate all academic and administrative buildings", a protective action.
    22. present: It instructs recipients to "evacuate all academic and administrative buildings", a protective action.
    23. present: It instructs "Please evacuate all academic and administrative buildings", a protective action.
    24. present: It instructs "Please evacuate all academic and administrative buildings", a protective action.
    25. present: "Please evacuate all academic and administrative buildings" is an instruction.
  • Timeabsent0/25

    Final assessment

    All 25 reads agree timing is absent: no clock time, date, or recency cue appears.

    When the message applies. A timestamp, the word now or immediately, or a phrase like until further notice tells the reader whether the danger is current and how quickly to act.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears.
    2. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears in the text.
    3. absent: No clock time, date, or recency word appears.
    4. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue is present.
    5. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue such as "now" appears.
    6. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears.
    7. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears.
    8. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears.
    9. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears.
    10. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears.
    11. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue such as "now" appears in the text.
    12. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears.
    13. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears.
    14. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears.
    15. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue is present.
    16. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears.
    17. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears.
    18. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears.
    19. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears.
    20. absent: No clock time, date, or recency word like "now" appears.
    21. absent: No clock time, date, or recency word such as "now" appears.
    22. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears in the text.
    23. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears.
    24. absent: No clock time, date, or recency word appears in the text.
    25. absent: No clock time, date, or recency cue appears in the text.
  • Impactabsent2/25

    Final assessment

    Absent by a strong 23 to 2 majority: it reports a non-specific bomb threat and orders building evacuation but states no explicit harm or severity.

    What the hazard could do to the people in its path. Beyond naming the threat, a complete warning conveys its potential consequences or severity, such as that a tornado can level buildings or that a leak could be explosive, so recipients grasp how much danger they are in. Research on warning message content finds that a concrete impact statement helps people personalize their risk and act sooner.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. absent: It reports a bomb threat and orders evacuation of buildings but states no explicit harm or severity.
    2. absent: This reports a non-specific bomb threat and directs evacuation but states no explicit harm or what the bomb could do.
    3. absent: Reports a non-specific bomb threat with building evacuation but states no explicit harm or severity.
    4. absent: It reports a non-specific bomb threat and orders evacuation but states no consequence or explicit danger.
    5. absent: Reports a non-specific bomb threat and to evacuate buildings but states no explicit harm or severity.
    6. present: It reports a non-specific bomb threat and orders evacuation of all buildings which conveys danger though it leans on hazard naming; the police-emergency framing implies risk to people.
    7. absent: Reports a non-specific bomb threat with evacuation but names the hazard without stating harm or severity.
    8. absent: Reports a non-specific bomb threat with evacuation but states no explosion danger or consequence.
    9. absent: Names a non-specific bomb threat and directs evacuation but states no explicit harm or consequence.
    10. present: A bomb threat prompting evacuation of all buildings implies a potential explosive danger to people.
    11. absent: Reports a non-specific bomb threat and directs evacuation but names the hazard without stating its potential harm.
    12. absent: It reports a non-specific bomb threat and orders evacuation but does not state what the bomb could do or any consequence.
    13. absent: A non-specific bomb threat prompting evacuation names the hazard but states no harm, severity, or what it could do.
    14. absent: Reports a non-specific bomb threat with evacuation but only names the hazard without stating explicit harm or severity.
    15. absent: Reports a non-specific bomb threat and orders evacuation but states no explicit harm or severity.
    16. absent: Reports a non specific bomb threat and directs evacuation but names the hazard without stating its potential harm.
    17. absent: Reports a non-specific bomb threat and orders evacuation but states no consequence or potential harm.
    18. absent: Reports a non-specific bomb threat and to evacuate buildings without stating explosion risk or harm.
    19. absent: Reports a non-specific bomb threat and says evacuate buildings but states no harm or severity.
    20. absent: Reports a non-specific bomb threat and directs evacuation but states no harm or consequence the bomb could cause.
    21. absent: Identifies a non-specific bomb threat and orders evacuation but states no specific harm a bomb could cause.
    22. absent: Reports a non-specific bomb threat and orders evacuation but states no explicit harm or consequence.
    23. absent: Names a non-specific bomb threat with evacuation but does not state what the bomb could do.
    24. absent: Reports a non-specific bomb threat with evacuation but states no harm or severity.
    25. absent: It reports a non-specific bomb threat and evacuation but does not state the potential harm or severity.

Systematic AI judgments with visible reasoning, not human-validated codings.

About this analysis
Context

Background

Gonzaga University, a Jesuit Catholic institution in Spokane, Washington, founded in 1887, received a non-specific bomb threat on the morning of September 25, 2014. Police were called just before 7:00 AM PDT by a male caller who stated there was a bomb on the campus. Gonzaga issued a ZagAlert email to all students almost immediately, directing evacuation of all academic and administrative buildings. Spokane Police's Explosives Disposal Unit and Gonzaga Security conducted a systematic sweep of all campus buildings, a process that took approximately three hours on the 131-acre campus. The campus was cleared and deemed safe by approximately 10:00 AM PDT. Classes scheduled for 10:30 AM PDT and later resumed normally. The threat was placed from an off-campus phone number. No arrest was announced in the initial reporting. The Easterner (Eastern Washington University's student newspaper) covered the story and raised questions about Gonzaga's communication speed and bomb threat protocols, reflecting broader student-media scrutiny of campus emergency response across Spokane's higher education community. No explosive device was found.
Analysis

Key Findings

The verbatim ZagAlert email ('A police emergency has been identified on the Gonzaga University, a non-specific bomb threat') preserves an authentic grammatical imperfection exactly as transmitted
A non-specific threat requiring a full campus sweep took approximately three hours on Gonzaga's 131-acre campus
The Gonzaga bomb threat prompted cross-campus media scrutiny from Eastern Washington University's student newspaper, reflecting how bomb threats at one Spokane-area institution generate concern across the wider regional higher education community
Outcome
Campus cleared by approximately 10:00 AM PDT. No explosive device found. Classes resumed for 10:30 AM PDT and later time slots. The bomb threat was called in from an off-campus phone number.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    All buildings on Gonzaga campus cleared and classes are resuming after bomb threat (The Spokesman-Review)
    spokesman.com
    archived copy
  2. News
    Bomb threat at GU quickly resolved (The Spokesman-Review)
    spokesman.com
    archived copy
  3. News
    Gonzaga Bomb Threat: Campus Cleared After University Bomb Threat (The Spreadit)
    thespreadit.com
    archived copy
  4. Student Paper
    Gonzaga bomb threat sets off questions (The Easterner, Eastern Washington University)
    theeasterner.org
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "Gonzaga University: Phoned bomb threat empties all campus buildings for three hours; no device found." Incident of September 25, 2014. Added May 2026; last updated July 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/gonzaga-university-bomb-threat-campus-evacuation-2014-09-25/

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Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.

Tags
bomb-threatevacuationno-device-foundspokanewashingtonprivate-r2jesuitcatholiczag-alert2014morning-threat
Added May 2026Updated July 2026Via ingestion