The Spokane Police Department (SPD) received a bomb threat for Gonzaga University (GU) around 7 a.m. on Sept. 25.  Regardless of new and returning students on campus, EWU Deputy Chief Gary Gasseling said Eastern is absolutely prepared for such an incident to occur.

The university has a variety of resources to quickly communicate vital information pertaining to danger for students: the EWU Alerts System, campus computer screens and social media accounts. If the incident is at a specific location, campus police will respond in-person by announcing the threat and proper protocol over the building’s intercom system or with their personal bullhorns.

SPD’s officers, its Explosives Disposal Unit and GU Security scoured the campus with no suspicious evidence found, according to GU’s statement.

All campus buildings were cleared around 10 a.m. that day as safe for re-entry, according to GU’s statement.

“Those kind of threats do exist, and number one we take them very seriously and we take your safety very seriously and we [have] to respond accordingly…” Gasseling said.

A male called in the threat via a cell phone, according to SPD’s official blog. At the time the threat was issued, students were told to exit the buildings and return to their residence halls. They were then instructed to stay in a room with the door and windows closed.

GU student Lindsey Johnstone said, “I just woke up and [my friend] had texted me to stay inside my dorm room with the door and windows closed.” She woke up to a text alerting her of the threat, rather than receiving an alert from the university itself.

She said other students heard about the threat through social media applications like Yik Yak and Twitter. “They should have knocked on all our doors or our RA’s should have all emailed us. They didn’t email us until hours after the threat,” Johnstone said.

“[The Gonzaga incident is] a good exercise for people to realize that we are an open campus, and these kinds of things can happen,” Gasseling said.

The Emergency Response Procedures are located online on the Campus Police webpage of the EWU website. Gasseling highly recommends signing up for the EWU Alerts System. To register for the free service, visit ewu.edu/alerts.