Campus Alert Archive
XULA

Xavier University of Louisiana Opens Black History Month Under Bomb Threat, Shifts to Remote

LAbomb threatemergency 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.

Xavier University of Louisiana received a bomb threat on February 1, 2022, the first day of Black History Month. The campus moved to remote operations and residential students were told to remain in their rooms while law enforcement conducted a sweep. Operations were expected to resume by noon. No explosive devices were found. The threat was part of the coordinated wave targeting HBCUs nationwide.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
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Institution
Xavier University of Louisiana
Hbcu · LA
~3,500 studentsXULA Emergency Alert System
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

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 ALERTTwitter/X
Verified verbatimThe Times-Picayune / NOLA.com and WWNO radio both quoted this verbatim tweet from Xavier University's official account; FOX 8 New Orleans and Catholic news outlets also cited the same alert text180 chars
ALERT! XULA has received a bomb threat & is working w/ authorities. Campus will be remote until 12 p.m. today. Residential students should stay in their rooms until further notice.
Verbatim text from XULA's official Twitter account, quoted consistently by NOLA.com, WWNO, FOX 8, and multiple Catholic news outlets covering the February 1, 2022 incident
Shift to remote operations rather than full evacuation reflects the evolving institutional response developed after the January 31 wave the day before
Residential students instructed to shelter in place in dorms; the '12 p.m.' deadline in the tweet itself is notable — XULA gave a specific resumption target, which most peer HBCUs did not
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstruction178 chars
The campus has been cleared by law enforcement. Normal campus operations will resume. Residential students may move freely on campus. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.

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

Reconstructed from news reports indicating operations resumed by noon
Relatively quick turnaround compared to some campuses that shut down for the full day
Context

Background

Xavier University of Louisiana, the only historically Black and Catholic university in the United States, was targeted on the first day of Black History Month 2022 as part of a massive coordinated wave of bomb threats against HBCUs. Located in New Orleans, Xavier is known for sending more African American students to medical school than any other university in the country. The February 1 threats hit multiple HBCUs simultaneously, with the timing on the first day of Black History Month widely seen as deliberately symbolic. Xavier's decision to shift to remote operations rather than fully evacuate reflected the evolving response strategies that HBCUs developed as the threat campaign continued over weeks. The FBI investigated the wave as racially motivated hate crimes and eventually identified six juveniles as persons of interest.
Outcome
Campus swept by law enforcement. No explosive devices found. Remote operations in effect until noon, then normal operations resumed.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Xavier University receives bomb threat, goes virtual while authorities investigate — The Times-Picayune / NOLA.com
    nola.com
  2. News
    Bomb threat at Xavier University shifts morning classes to remote learning — FOX 8 Live New Orleans
    fox8live.com
  3. News
    Multiple HBCUs receive bomb threats on first day of Black History Month
    nbcnews.com
Tags
bomb-threathbcuhbcu-bomb-wave-2022racially-motivatedblack-history-monthlouisianaremote-operationsUnfounded
Added April 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion