SAN ANTONIO — The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) reported two false threats on its main campus Tuesday night, adding to a growing list of similar hoax threats, known as “swatting,” affecting colleges nationwide.
Although both calls were false alarms, the emotional impact on students was palpable.
“I’m glad our school’s safe. I still feel this weird, icky feeling from it,” said one student, reflecting the unease felt by many Roadrunners who received evacuation orders.
Another student noted the difference between high school and college, saying, “It’s kind of different in high school. But you know, when you’re in the dorm, it’s not like you really don’t got like a guardian watching you, just like, by yourself.”
At least six other colleges across the country have faced similar hoax threats in the past week, prompting comparable responses. Dr. Melony Montano from the San Antonio Counseling and Behavioral Center highlighted the impact of such stressors on students’ ability to learn.
“When students, especially, are in this fight or flight mode or in this survival mode, that their brain essentially gets hijacked so it’s not conducive for learning, it actually takes away physical blood flow,” Montano said.
Montano advised students to find healthy coping mechanisms, even if they are not directly affected by the threats. “What I tell people is, it’s always important to get assessed, because even if you just have a little bit of irritability…you want to rule out where you fall in the category of severity,” she said.
Despite the false nature of the threats, the incidents left students feeling unsettled. “It was weird, because, you know…it’s like fake threats that happens all the time,” one student remarked. Another expressed frustration, saying, “I was also partly not surprised by the fact that we had a bomb threat, considering a lot of people want to kick-start violence, and I absolutely hate it.”
UTSA officials gave the all-clear last night, and campus life has returned to normal. School officials stated they will continue to monitor future incidents to ensure the safety of the campus community.