Xavier University of Louisiana’s top administrators have been speaking to the nation and the world, displaying Xavier’s resilience and unwavering dedication to educating its students following two bomb threats to the university within thirty days.  

After the first threat in early January, the university launched a safety awareness campaign to educate the campus community on best safety practices and encourage vigilance. The second threat came in the middle of the night on February 1, the first day of Black History Month. Xavier moved quickly to alert students and mobilize authorities. Students were evacuated from the quadrant of campus central to the threat, and residents were instructed to shelter in place in the cleared dormitories. Morning classes were held remotely until the authorities cleared the rest of the campus. Xavier resumed in-person classes at 12 noon. 

President Verret stood in solidarity with students on campus while answering the questions of multiple local news stations. Several other Historically Black Universities and Colleges also received threats, but thankfully, no explosive devices were found at Xavier or elsewhere. The threats are currently under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other agencies. 

President Verret was invited to speak to CNN’s Don Lemon regarding the recent threats. He expressed his pride in the students and how Xavier would continue in its mission to educate the next generation of change-makers. 

“[Xavier’s students] are realistic, they have responded to the cautions that we’ve taken,” President Verret told Lemon. “At the same time, they have a sense of history. They know that this is not the first time Xavier or any of our other [sibling] schools have faced adversity, but we’ve gotten through them. [They understand] the mission of their education, of sending them out to do what they need to do to serve the world wherever they need to go, is important enough that we will continue educating.” 

Unshaken and committed to educating future leaders, President Verret testified on Capitol Hill before the U.S. Senate Committee HELP on February 10 about the particular need for more people of color in the health care workforce. Using the health disparities highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic as an example, his testimony stated how more health care professionals of color could help mitigate some of the gaps in healthcare for people of color. 

Xavier has recently implemented new graduate and undergraduate programs related to healthcare and other STEM fields, including genetic counseling, health informatics, robotics and mechatronics engineering, speech pathology, and many more. 

“Our new programs target professions, in which only 1% to 3.5% of practitioners identify as African American,” President Verret said. “Their diversity is critical to provide equitable healthcare outcomes.” 

He emphasized the need to expand the Pell Grants program and afford more students of color the opportunity to attend higher education and the importance of funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs).  

“American cannot afford to develop only a subset of its talent.” President Verret said during his testimony.  

You can see President Verret’s full testimony here. 

 

With the eyes of the nation and the world on Xavier and other HBCUs, Vice President and Chief of Staff Patrice Bell interviewed with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and participated in two National Public Broadcast (NPR) discussions about Xavier’s response and the lessons learned after the threats, further affirming Xavier’s commitment to educating its students.  

“Our faculty, our staff, our administration really are all committed to making certain that our students, no matter what the event, have a continuity of learning experience,” said Vice President Bell during her interview with BBC. “Because the work we do here in America as the only Black and Catholic institution in this nation, the top producer of M.Ds. and Ph.Ds. of color is so very critical to making certain that the United States can be successful and can continue to address issues of diversity and representation. We have to make certain that our students are safe, first and foremost, but that we [also] continue their education.”  

The BBC affiliate conducting the interview expressed his concern about how these threats were a clear message for HBCUs and what the next steps might be for Xavier and other HBCUs. Vice President Bell was firm in her response, saying that Xavier and other HBCUs would stay the course. She explained how HBCUs work together as a collective, collaborating to support each other with advocacy and camaraderie.  

“As an HBCU, as a Black and Catholic institution, Xavier specifically has been on the forefront of reconciliatory conversations. We have to approach all of this with a spirit of love and healing.” Vice President Bell stated. 

View Vice President Bell’s full interview with BBC here. One of her interviews with NPR can be listened to here. 

 

As Xavier and its HBCU brethren rally after the threats, Xavier’s Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs, Anne McCall, participated in a virtual roundtable on February 8 alongside several other HBCU Presidents convened by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) to discuss moving forward.  

SPLC’s Chief of Staff and Culture, Lecia Brooks, moderated the event. Other panelists included Dr. A. Zachary Faison Jr., President of Edward Waters University; Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough, President of Dillard University; Dr. Felecia Nave, President of Alcorn State University; and Dr. Michelle Asha Cooper, the U.S. Department of Education’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Higher Education Programs and the Acting Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education. 

Provost McCall clarified how for many HBCU students, their university is at their “center” where they “come together and form a community of ambition and accomplishment.” To threaten that center, Provost said, can be disorienting to students. However, she also indicated that students, staff and faculty would remain resilient and vocal as they seek a more just world.  

“In some ways [HBCUs are] a refuge of sorts, where you gain more strength to go out and fight everything that needs to be fought for in this country,” said Provost McCall. “And so, to attack HBCUs, to claim to want to bomb HBCUs, says, very much, very strongly, ‘You’re not safe anywhere. We don’t want you to be able to learn anywhere. We don’t want you to be at the center.’ But as everybody agrees, you know, HBCUs represent acts of resistance, and those acts of resistance are not one time- they’re over time. And so, they continue, and we continue to guide them.” 

When asked about the possible impact of recruitment, Provost remained confident in the strength of students’ resolve and the efficacy of enrollment strategies at Xavier and other HBCUs. 

“We know that the students who we attract are dedicated to, you know, attainment, careers and in great professions, and to serving their communities, and I don’t believe that this will dissuade them.” Provost McCall said. “I think, though, that this is an opportunity for everybody in the country to have a reality check about what it means to belong to and be part of communities that are oppressed, have been oppressed, and that are doing so much to further themselves. I mean, HBCUs have been around, you know, go into — Xavier’s almost 100 years old, we have some that are closing in on 200 years of existence, right? And to think of what that means in terms of a country, it desperately needs to live up to its ideals.” 

You can view the full roundtable here.