Campus Alert Archive
UW-River Falls

"The Bullets Will Fly": How an Anonymous Ides-of-October Letter Paralyzed a 6,000-Student Wisconsin Branch Campus

WIthreat of violenceemergency notificationmedium confidence
UnfoundedNo evidence of an actual threat was found. The institutional response is documented because the alert communication is identical to what would occur during a real incident.

On September 29, 2014, the University of Wisconsin-River Falls received an anonymous written communication stating: "Beware the Ides of October, the time is nigh and the bullets will fly," referencing October 15. Campus police issued a safety alert and dramatically increased law enforcement presence -- including FBI agents, personal guards at the dean's office, and officers at every residence hall -- through the Ides of October date. October 15 passed without incident; the threat was never carried out and no suspect was ever publicly identified.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
University of Wisconsin-River Falls
Public Masters · WI
~6,000 studentsUW-River Falls SafeAlert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

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 ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstruction565 chars
UW-River Falls Safety Alert: Campus police have received an anonymous written communication containing an implied threat referencing October 15. The communication states: 'Beware the Ides of October, the time is nigh and the bullets will fly.' While the threat does not specify any target, person, group, or location, campus police are treating it seriously. Additional law enforcement will be present on and around campus. Classes will continue as scheduled. Faculty may adjust their schedules. Please report any suspicious activity to UWRF Police at 715-425-3133.

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

The threatening phrase itself -- 'Beware the Ides of October, the time is nigh and the bullets will fly' -- is confirmed verbatim in multiple independent news sources including the Star Tribune and CBS Minnesota
September 29, 2014, was a Monday; campus operations continued that week with mandatory increased security but no evacuation or lockdown
UW-River Falls is a public regional campus in Pierce County, Wisconsin, about 35 miles east of the Twin Cities metro; the threat prompted a regional law enforcement response including FBI agents on campus
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstruction376 chars
UWRF Update: Campus safety measures continue as we approach October 15. FBI and additional law enforcement remain on and around campus. Faculty retain the option to hold classes online or excuse student absences. Access to residence halls is restricted to residents of each individual hall. Employers participating in the upcoming job fair have been notified of the situation.

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

Key security measures confirmed by multiple sources: FBI agents on campus, personal guards at the dean's office and residence, campus police stationed at each residence hall, and residence hall access cards restricted so students could only enter their own building
Approximately one-third of employers invited to the campus job fair canceled due to the threat -- a documented economic impact not typically quantified in campus safety incidents
The Washington Times reported as of October 11, 2014, that 'campus has been quiet despite the threat,' suggesting no escalation was detected in the final days before October 15
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstruction346 chars
UWRF Campus Update: The Ides of October has passed without incident. Campus operations return to normal. Thank you for your cooperation and patience during the heightened security period. Law enforcement continues to investigate the origin of the anonymous threat. Please continue to report any suspicious activity to UWRF Police at 715-425-3133.

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

River Towns reported that 'campus was quiet despite the threat' as of October 11, 2014, consistent with no pre-date escalation; the October 15 date passed without incident
The investigation into the anonymous letter's origin was never publicly resolved; no suspect was ever publicly charged
A follow-up anonymous letter referencing this 2014 incident was received by UWRF on October 18, 2016, but it too did not contain a specific threat
Context

Background

The University of Wisconsin-River Falls is a public master's-granting campus of the UW System with approximately 6,000 students in Pierce County, Wisconsin, roughly 35 miles east of St. Paul, Minnesota. On September 29, 2014, campus police discovered an anonymous written communication -- delivered to the campus -- that read: "Beware the Ides of October, the time is nigh and the bullets will fly." The phrase invoked Shakespeare's Caesar and the Roman calendar to threaten violence on October 15, but specified no target, person, group, or building. Campus police issued a safety alert and coordinated with local law enforcement, the Eau Claire FBI field office, and the Wisconsin State Patrol to dramatically increase security. Per Washington Times reporting, FBI agents were stationed on campus, personal guards were assigned to the dean's office, and residence hall key-card access was reconfigured so students could only enter their own dormitory building. Classes continued as scheduled, though faculty were granted discretion to hold sessions online or excuse absences. Approximately one-third of employers scheduled for the campus fall job fair canceled their participation, a concrete economic impact. The Star Tribune's follow-up coverage on October 15 confirmed the date passed without incident and campus remained quiet throughout the day. The threat was never publicly attributed to a suspect. The 2014 incident resurfaced in October 2016 when a new anonymous letter referencing the original threat was received, but that letter also contained no specific threat. The case is an unusual example of a vague, date-specific anonymous threat at a small UW System branch campus generating FBI involvement and a two-week sustained security response.
Outcome
No incident occurred on October 15, 2014 or thereafter. Heavy law enforcement presence remained through and after the Ides of October. No suspect was publicly identified. A subsequent anonymous letter referencing the 2014 threat was received in October 2016 but also contained no specific threat.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Threat puts UW-River Falls campus on alert (Star Tribune)
    startribune.com
  2. News
    'Ides of October' threat alarms University of Wisconsin-River Falls (Star Tribune)
    startribune.com
  3. News
    Threat prompts changes at UW-River Falls (Washington Times)
    washingtontimes.com
  4. News
    Anonymous Threat Prompts Extra Law Enforcement At UW-River Falls (CBS Minnesota)
    cbsnews.com
  5. News
    Threat brings increased security to UW-River Falls (Bring Me the News)
    bringmethenews.com
  6. News
    UW-River Falls campus quiet despite threat (River Towns)
    rivertowns.net
  7. Official
    Police Alerts - University of Wisconsin-River Falls
    uwrf.edu
Tags
threat-of-violenceanonymous-threatwisconsinuw-river-fallsbranch-campusuw-systemfbi-involvedno-incidentresidence-hall2014Unfounded
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion