University Center targeted in bomb threat

At approximately 7 p.m. on Friday, Environmental Health & Safety sent out an alert saying that the University Center (UC) received a bomb threat.

According to the alert, University Police are sweeping the UC. The building has not been evacuated, but occupants are free to leave if they wish. The estimated end time of the sweep is 10 p.m.

During the sweep, a final exam for 15-122 Principles of Imperative Computation was being held in McConomy Auditorium. Carnegie Mellon police announced the bomb threat to the class and explained that evacuation was optional. The professor and teaching assistants allowed students to leave and take a make-up exam if they felt uncomfortable.

"We gave them the option to leave if they wanted and offered a make-up exam, but nobody took the offer," said Erik Zawadzki, a fourth-year Ph.D. student in computer science and teaching assistant for the class. "A police officer and one of CMU security came and announced that there was a bomb threat. It was pretty uneventful though."

Snigdha Roy, a first-year computer science major and a student in the class, explained that the bomb threat wasn't what was on her mind as she took her exam. "The only thing we were traumatized by was the final we just took," she said.

This is Carnegie Mellon's second bomb threat this week. On Tuesday morning, the university received an email threatening Hunt Library, the Mellon Institute library, and Sorrells Engineering & Science Library in Wean Hall. None of the buildings were evacuated, and a sweep turned up no threats. Prior to Tuesday, the university's most recent bomb threat was in February, when Warner and Smith Halls were evacuated.