Officials at Northwestern University said that the multicultural center at 1936 Sheridan Rd. will remain closed until Friday after a message the school categorized as an “act of intimidation” was written on a whiteboard in the facility.
“I am insane, also I have a gun,” the message read.
After seeing the message, student office assistants called university police and closed the building, university officials said.
Northwestern officials released a brief statement regarding the incident and said they are investigating the threat and reviewing video and security footage.
In the statement, Northwestern referenced recent bomb threats at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
“The Multicultural Center has served as an important resource for our community since it was established in 1999,” the statement read. “Tuesday’s incident occurred in a space that centers the needs of our marginalized students while fostering community engagement and identity expression. It also comes less than a month after more than a dozen Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) received bomb threats.”
The Evanston RoundTable reached out to university spokesperson Jon Yates but he declined to answer any follow-up questions, including about what information the school had that led to the message being categorized as intimidation.
The school asked anyone with information regarding the incident to contact University Police by calling 847-491-3456 or submitting a bias incident report.
This is a developing story.