SUBR

Suspicious Item in Fisher Hall Parking Lot Triggers Southern University Evacuation, Second Major Campus Alert in 11 Days

Monday, September 22, 2025LAsuspicious packageemergency notificationmedium confidence

UnfoundedNo evidence of an actual threat was found. The institutional response is documented because the alert communication is identical to what would occur during a real incident.

On the morning of September 22, 2025, Southern University and A&M College evacuated Fisher Hall after a suspicious item was found in the parking lot adjacent to the building. The university issued an advisory just before 10:30 a.m. CDT asking students to avoid Fisher Hall and surrounding areas. The SU Police Department, working with local law enforcement, cleared the scene by just before 1:00 p.m. This evacuation came just 11 days after Southern University was one of six HBCUs targeted in a coordinated hoax threat on September 11.

Alerts: 2
Response: —
Killed: —
Injured: —

Institution

Southern University and A&M College

Hbcu · LA

~6,500 studentsSU Alert

Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

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 ALERTEmailSep 22, 2025, 3:30 PM EST

Approximate reconstruction303 chars

Out of an abundance of caution, students are advised to avoid Fisher Hall and the surrounding areas until further notice. A suspicious item has been found in the parking lot alongside Fisher Hall. The SU Police Department is coordinating with local law enforcement agencies to investigate the situation.

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

Reconstructed from WBRZ and WAFB reporting; exact wording of initial advisory not confirmed from official archive

Advisory issued just before 10:30 a.m. CDT on September 22, 2025 -- the same week as back-to-back HBCU threats nationally

Fisher Hall is an administrative and academic building on Southern's core Baton Rouge campus

ALL CLEAREmailSep 22, 2025, 6:00 PM EST+2h 30m

Approximate reconstruction264 chars

The SU Police Department, in coordination with local law enforcement agencies, has thoroughly investigated the situation and determined there is no threat. Fisher Hall is now open and all normal operations have resumed. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.

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

Reconstructed from WBRZ and WAFB coverage; exact wording not confirmed from official SU archive

All-clear issued before 1:00 p.m. CDT, approximately 2.5 hours after initial advisory

This was the second major campus safety alert at SUBR in 11 days, following the September 11 HBCU coordinated threats

Context

Background

Southern University and A&M College, the flagship HBCU in Louisiana and one of the oldest HBCUs in the country, experienced a tense autumn semester in 2025. On September 11, 2025, Southern was one of six HBCUs nationally to receive coordinated hoax threats that prompted a campus-wide lockdown; the FBI later characterized those threats as hoaxes. Just 11 days later, a suspicious item found in the Fisher Hall parking lot prompted a precautionary evacuation. The SU Police Department coordinated with Baton Rouge Police and other local agencies. The evacuation lasted approximately two and a half hours before the scene was cleared. A third evacuation followed on September 30, 2025, when the John B. Cade Library was evacuated due to a potential threat, marking three major campus safety incidents in a single month. The pattern of elevated threat activity at Southern University in fall 2025 mirrored a broader national trend of HBCU-targeted threats.

Outcome

No threat found. Fisher Hall reopened before 1:00 p.m. CDT on September 22, 2025. Normal operations resumed. The suspicious item was determined to pose no threat to the campus.

Provenance

Alert Sequence

Background

Sources

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