Campus Alert Archive
Averett

A 'General Threat' Email Locks Down Both Averett Campuses for Three Hours

VAthreat of violenceemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed HoaxDetermined to be a hoax. The institutional response is documented because it reveals how the alert system performed under a perceived real threat.

On Saturday, January 23, 2021, Averett University in Danville, Virginia placed its Main and North campuses on lockdown after receiving a threatening email around 11:15 a.m. that made a general threat toward the university. Danville Police secured both campuses while investigators traced the message, and the lockdown was lifted at about 2:30 p.m. The same emailed-hoax wave hit Hampden-Sydney College and Central Virginia Community College the same day.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
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Institution
Averett University
Private Masters · VA
~850 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSMS
Approximate reconstruction206 chars
Averett Alert: The university has received a threat and both the Main and North campuses are on lockdown. If you are on campus, shelter in place, lock doors, and stay away from windows until further notice.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed: reporting describes a campus-alert lockdown notification sent shortly after the 11:15 a.m. email but does not quote it verbatim, so isVerbatimConfirmed is false.
The alert covered both Averett's Main Campus and its separate North Campus, reflecting how the small university's split footprint complicated the lockdown response.
ALL CLEARTwitter/X+3h 5m
Verified verbatimWFXR and WSLS both report this as the verbatim @AverettU1859 Twitter post lifting the lockdown on January 23, 2021, around 2:30 p.m. EST128 chars
UPDATE: The lockdown has been lifted. Please read this message for more information, and watch the LiveSafe app for any updates.
Verbatim text confirmed: WFXR and WSLS both quote this as the @AverettU1859 Twitter update that lifted the lockdown around 2:30 p.m. EST on January 23, 2021.
The tweet directed recipients to 'read this message for more information' and check the LiveSafe app, indicating a fuller all-clear was distributed via a separate notification or email.
This is the genuine all-clear, lifting the lockdown approximately three hours after the threat email was received at roughly 11:15 a.m. EST.
Context

Background

Averett University is a small private Baptist-heritage institution of roughly 850 students in Danville, Virginia, with a Main Campus and a separate North Campus. On Saturday, January 23, 2021, the university received a threatening email at about 11:15 a.m. that made a general threat, and it placed both campuses on lockdown. Danville Police responded to both sites while investigators worked to trace the message, and the lockdown was lifted around 2:30 p.m. with no indication the threat was legitimate. The episode was part of the same emailed-hoax wave that locked down Hampden-Sydney College and Central Virginia Community College that Saturday, a coordinated pattern that previewed the much larger swatting and emailed-threat surges campuses would face later in the decade.
Analysis

Key Findings

A general-threat email locked down both of Averett's campuses for roughly three hours on a Saturday with few people present
The same hoax template reached Hampden-Sydney College and Central Virginia Community College the same day, January 23, 2021
Danville Police found no credible threat and lifted the lockdown around 2:30 p.m. EST
Outcome
Police found no indication the threat was legitimate. The lockdown was lifted around 2:30 p.m. and the email was part of a hoax campaign that targeted several Virginia schools the same Saturday.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Averett University in lockdown after receiving threatening email, police say - WSLS
    wsls.com
  2. News
    Email threat investigated after causing Averett University to initiate lockdown - WDBJ7
    wdbj7.com
  3. News
    UPDATE: Averett University lifts lockdown after earlier email threat - WFXR
    wfxrtv.com
  4. Official
    01-23-2021 Response to threat at Averett University - City of Danville
    danvilleva.gov
Tags
emailed-threatlockdownvirginiaprivate-universitydanvilleemergency-notificationhoaxHoax
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion