MCLA Campus Evacuated for Bomb Scare; Cleared After 2 Hours

Students were told to evacuate to the North Adams Armory on Ashland Street.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts evacuated its 1,800-student campus on Thursday afternoon for more than two hours after a threatening note was found in Murdock Hall shortly before 4 p.m.

Hundreds of students filed into the North Adams Armory on Ashland Street as police closed off streets around the campus in the residential section of the downtown. About a 1,000 students live in the school's dormorities and hundreds more live in nearby off-campus apartments.

All evening classes and programs were canceled.

North Adams Police Director Michael Cozzaglio said a note was found in a men's room in Murdock Hall but declined to reveal its contents at this time. What it said was enough to prompt college officials to shut down the campus and for police to cordon off the six square blocks around it. College officials called it a bomb threat.

Cozzaglio said state and campus police swept the buildings, focusing on "some areas that needed a closer look such as the area where the note was found."

"Everything seemed to be in order, in place, so we tried to resume normal activities. Nothing was found out of the ordinary."

The campus was reopened by 6:30 p.m. Cozzaglio said state police were still on scene "preserving the area were the note was found" and that Crime Scene Services was investigating.   

The action comes nearly two weeks after the deadly bombing that rocked the finish line at the Boston Marathon.

"We responded appropriately to the situation," said James Stakenas,  vice president of administration and finance at the college. "Last week was on everybody's mind, of course. Our first priority was to keep everyone safe."

Cozzaglio said the charges for leaving such a note would likely be disorderly conduct, any more serious charges would be discussed with the district attorney's office.

"The shock and awe that this creates and the nervousness that this creates, if we found someone or discovered who was responsible, we would prosecute them," he said. "No doubt about it."

President Mary Grant, posting on the college's Web page, said, "A thorough search of campus revealed no evidence of any explosive devices on campus, but an incident like this one is a cause for serious concern. We can assume that the intention behind the threat was to provoke a response, and to threaten the sense of safety and security that exists within our campus community."

The college used its messaging system to inform students to evacuate the campus immediately and to "proceed in an orderly fashion" to the North Adams Armory on Ashland Street. Fire alarms also were used to move students and faculty out of the buildings.

Students had mixed opinions about how the situation was handled as well as choosing the armory as an evacuation site. Once checked in they were asked not to leave.

"I think that the alarm system should have been better... I think it should've been much more organized," said student Robyn Sims.
 
"I think this could have been handled faster," student Brittany Lange. "They should've had a better place to go. I didn't even know there was an armory."

(The emergency message did note the armory was next to the popular Pitcher's Mound to help students find their way.)

Counseling services will be available Friday for campus community members wishing to speak to someone.

Professor Mark Miller said he couldn't remember any bomb threats in his 26-year career at the college. He said his classroom's phone was beeping, but he initially ignored it thinking it was a student's phone. Then a student pointed out his phone was making the noise, which was the announcement to evacuate.

Professor Harris Elder recalled a bomb threat more than 25 years ago, in which a few students climbed a tree that used to be located in front of Murdock Hall, "breaking the law."

Parts of Blackinton, Montana and Hoosac streets were closed to traffic. Church Street was closed from Porter to Davenport. Roads around the campus were being reopened at 6:20 p.m.

State, North Adams and college police were at the scene. North Adams Ambulance and Fire Department were also called and Williamstown police officers helped handle traffic. Stakenas said the second shift in the facilities department and residence area staff also provided support.

James Stakenas and North Adams Police Director Michael Cozzaglio said the college and public safety had worked smoothly during the incident.

The city's Code Red alert system was used to inform residents in the surrounding area of the situation and when it had been resolved.

There may have been a glitch in the college's emergency notification: some students received a cutoff message stating it was a test, but later received two corrections saying it was not safe. All three messages were received from around 5:20 to 5:40.

Stakenas said he knew the first message announcing the evacuation had been vetted by the emergency team but not these texts, which he said he would look into.

Both Stakenas and Cozzaglio said at the press briefing after the all clear that the unified command system set up at the president's office on Blackinton Street had worked well.

"We worked very closely together; everybody was kept safe, which was our highest priority, and I think we were very efficient in how we managed it," said Stakenas. "It was really a city and college community effort."    

"It went very, very smoothly," said Cozzaglio.

Mayor Richard Alcombright, who had been scheduled to speak at a Green Living Series panel discussion at the college, said the public safety officials, college and state had worked well together. "I'm very, very impressed with the way this all ended," he said.

College officials had been looking ahead to all the clear — and when students deprived of dinner would return to campus.

"We staged the clearing of the campus buildings so the chow hall would be opened up first," said Stakenas. "We pulled the Aramark staff out of the armory ... and gave them a 15-minute head start."

The campus dining room was staying open until 8:15 p.m. but all classes and programs were canceled. The college will reopen Friday morning as normal.

Story completely rewritten and updated at 8:05 p.m.

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