Campus Alert Archive

Institution

Pennsylvania State University

Penn StatePAPublic R1PSUAlert~88,000 students

Cases: 14
Alerts: 30
Verbatim: 3%
Span: 1996–2025

Official alert policy

How Penn State says it will alert — when and how PSUAlert activates, summarized, quoted, and analyzed.

Case log

Every documented incident

14 cases · 1 of 30 alert messages verbatim-confirmed

2025

infrastructure failure: 2025-05-27Roofer Airlifted From Thompson Hall After Multi-Story Fall at Penn State West Hallsadvisory1 injured

2024

2023

infrastructure failure: 2023-08-16Sinkhole Opens at Eisenhower Parking Deck During Move-In Week, Trapping Hundreds of Carsadvisory

2022

bomb threat: 2022-08-24Penn State Student Posts 'ROTC Bombing Downtown Tonight' on Yik Yak, Tells Police It Was Comedytimely warning

2020

covid 19: 2020-09-09'I Am Confident Our In-Person Semester Is Now in Jeopardy': Eric Barron's Warning Letter to Penn State Studentsadvisory

2018

bomb threat: 2018-12-13Eight Buildings, One Hoax: When a National Bomb Threat Wave Hit University Parkemergency notification

2017

other: 2017-02-02The Alert That Was Not Sent: How Tim Piazza Died in a Penn State Fraternity 12 Hours Before Anyone Called 911advisory

2015

suspicious package: 2015-12-01A Grounds Crew Find by Medlar Field: Penn State's Bomb Squad Investigation Near Beaver Stadiumemergency notification

2012

police activity: 2012-06-22Guilty on 45 of 48 Counts: PSU Police Stage at Old Main as the Sandusky Verdict Landsadvisory

2011

civil unrest: 2011-11-09A Flipped News Van and Pepper Spray on Beaver Avenue: 4,000 Students Riot Within Minutes of Joe Paterno's Firingemergency notification

2000

other: 2000-03-24A Distillation Experiment Exploded in Fenske Lab at Penn State, Injuring a Graduate Studentadvisory1 injured

1998

civil unrest: 1998-07-12A Party Ball Out a Window Ignites the 1998 Arts Fest Riot on Beaver Avenueemergency notification

1996

shooting: 1996-09-17Five Shots from a Mauser Across the HUB Lawn: The 1996 Penn State Sniperadvisory1 killed · 1 injured

By incident type

What Penn State has alerted about

Bomb Threat · 3 Civil Unrest · 2 Infrastructure · 2 other · 2 Active Shooter · 1 Police Activity · 1 Public Health · 1 Sex Offense · 1 suspicious package · 1

All institutions →